


I Wanna Be Loved

by harringrovecryptid



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: ABO, Alpha Billy Hargrove, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, M/M, Modern AU, Omega Steve Harrington, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 47,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14664302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harringrovecryptid/pseuds/harringrovecryptid
Summary: "Brenner Relations" was one of the most lucrative businesses in the modern age. But only its clients and staff actually knew how it made its money. Billy Hargrove found himself being one of those people. But the deeper he got involved with the shady industry, the more secrets he began to uncover regarding the omegas that are considered company property.





	1. Welcome to Brenner Relations

**Author's Note:**

> The titles for my fics usually come from song lyrics. This one is from "Smile" by Mikky Ekko.  
> Special thanks to color-me-cas for beta-ing this piece.

_Brenner Relations_ was one of the most lucrative businesses in the modern age. But only its clients and staff actually knew how the company made its money. Billy Hargrove now found himself being one of those people.

His life had become a whirlwind ever since Billy presented as an alpha on his eighteenth birthday. Neil considered him a volatile liability and didn’t think twice before kicking him out of the house as soon as “responsibly” possible.

Billy kept telling himself that he was lucky, that things could have been a lot worse. Alphas had more opportunities in the working world compared to the other alignments. Most omegas tended towards community lifestyles because, with the current legal restriction in place, it was almost impossible for them to support themselves on their own.

But Billy didn’t feel lucky. He felt trapped. Unable to metaphorically stretch his wings and plan out a future because money was tight and right now any kind of community sounded better than being all on your own.

The one thing Billy had to offer besides a high school education was his natural ability to fight and hold his own. He wasn’t just good at it, he was great at it. Enough so that Billy was able to find a job as a bouncer and work his way up through various jobs until he became a private security guard.

Some people like to chalk it up to Billy’s alpha nature. But he personally believed it was the result of enduring Neil’s abuse his entire life.

The fact of the matter was, Billy had a lifetime of experience when it came to outlasting and out-fighting anyone who dared stand in his way. Why wouldn’t he put that talent to good use?

“It says here you worked as a bodyguard for Molly Gibson, the defense attorney,” Martin Brenner read as he looked through Billy’s recommendations, “what lead you to leave that position?”

Billy smiled across the large mahogany desk in Brenner’s office. The entire space screamed professional opulence but lacked any charm or humanity. Billy was used to these kinds of environments. The people he tended to work for all seemed to share the same lack of humanity alongside their abundance of wealth. As if one characteristic could not exist with the other.

“Ms. Gibson was a wonderful employer, but she tended to travel often because of her job. I found I preferred staying in one consistent location.”

“Ah,” Brenner smiled and leaned back in his chair, “You wanted to establish your territory, as it were. I’ve read studies that have recorded that trait amongst alphas.”

Billy continued to smile but found himself grinding his teeth together in mild frustration. He didn’t come to this company looking to be scrutinized and analyzed by someone like Brenner. “Well, my family moved around a lot growing up. I always regretted not being able to establish any roots back then.”

“Of course.” Brenner nodded. “What do you know about _Brenner Relations_ William?”

Billy swallowed. He had tried to do his research before his interview, but the information he found was ambiguous at best.

Brenner smiled and leaned forward, like a cat with a cornered mouse. Billy was suddenly struck with the impression that this man found great pleasure in control and superiority.

“There isn’t any information on this company,” Brenner stated. “That’s the way we like it, so that’s the way we make it. Silence and discretion is what makes our business possible. Something we’ll be expecting of you in the future.”

Billy blinked. “You’re hiring me? Just based off of one interview?”

“Your résumé speaks for itself.” Brenner gave a disinterested wave of his hand. “Plus, you have no immediate family you’re in communication with, and you’re new to the city so it’s very unlikely you’ll have anyone to talk to about your work here. An alpha with no loyalties or attachments, exactly what we’re looking for.”

Billy tried to maintain a calm and professional demeanor, but the truth was he was so relieved. Working for a place like _Brenner Relations_ would mean a consistent and large salary. Working at the company for even a decade would financially set Billy for life. The freedom he’d always craved seemed almost within reach now. Almost.

“What, uh,” Billy readjusted himself in his seat. “What exactly would my role be within this company.”

Brenner smiled and opened a drawer in his desk. “You will be working under our head of security to help keep our merchandise in perfect condition.” The CEO pulled out a large glossy brochure and handed it to Billy.

“Tell me William, what do you know about Omega Companions?”

Billy hesitantly accepted the brochure that now looked more like a magazine. The front cover advertised:

_“a variety of intimate experiences with the most sought after and well-trained Omega Companions that money could buy.”_

Brenner didn’t wait for Billy to answer. He merely steepled his fingers and looked out the large window adorning his office. “There are extremely wealthy people out there who are willing to pay a great deal of money for the thrill of being… _intimate_ with an unbound omega. My company aims to fulfill those desires. All our omegas are here consensually, and we treat them better than most people treat pedigree show dogs. That being said, some precautions must be taken...”

Billy felt sick as he flipped through the brochure. It felt less like an informational text and more like a dirty magazine. There were full spreads of images that glamorized the available omegas. The photos ranged from professional headshots to pin-up poses that reminded Billy of high-end escorts.

He could almost forget the kind of business he was being employed under, were it not for the thick metal collars that were present in every image.

As if reading his mind, Brenner spoke. “The collars are the latest models available. They track and keep our omegas from going into heat and also work as a means of keeping our customers from attempting to bond with the merchandise.”

Brenner leaned across the desk and pointed at one of the photographs, tracing the collar around the omega’s neck. “The collars cover the omega’s scent gland and are worn at all times. They can only be removed by myself and Frank Bateman, the man you will be working under.”

Billy tried not to think about why Brenner would ever need access to the collars. He felt dirtier than a few minutes ago, and far less enthusiastic about this new job.

“Do you have a service that also provides alphas for... interested parties?” Billy asked as he handed the magazine back.

Brenner laughed and shook his head. “No, no. We attempted that during the early phase of our company, but alphas aren’t as easy to control. We came to the conclusion that our alphas would have to be constantly muzzled, and that had an adverse response from our clients.”

Billy swallowed down the lump in his throat, feeling almost guilty at the relief that washed over him. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if such a business existed his father would have sold him long ago.

“Ah! Speaking of Frank,” Brenner gestured over Billy’s shoulder, “meet your head of security.”

Billy stood and turned to greet his new superior. Frank had a heavy muscular alpha build. He looked every inch the security guard he was, but Billy couldn’t shake the feeling that Frank could easily force the omegas to submit in every form of the word if they ever stepped out of line.

 “Nice to meet you Frank, I’m Billy.” He accepted the larger man’s hand and made sure not to flinch or react as the other man nearly crushed his hand in response. It was just a stupid way for alphas to assert dominance, something Billy had experienced many a time in his line of work.

“Charmed.” Frank drawled with obvious sarcasm. “So, I suppose I should show you around the place, huh?”

Billy turned to Brenner, looking for confirmation.

The CEO merely nodded and lazily gestured for the both of them to leave. “Frank will explain the day-to-day operations far better than I will. Just check in with my secretary to get your keys and paperwork before you leave.”

With that, Billy felt Frank clap a hand on his shoulder and pull him out of the office. They didn’t have to go far. Apparently, the space where the Omegas were kept was just an elevator ride away.

Frank leaned forward with a wolfish grin as they waited for the elevator doors to open. “Consider yourself lucky kid. You just stumbled upon the best fucking job of your life.”

* * *

 

 _Brenner Relations_ had eight Omegas employed. All of which lived in a large multi-level penthouse at the top of Brenner’s company building.

It was the kind of living space that Billy had seen in movies hundreds of times, but never in person. He couldn’t help but turn and marvel at every small luxury that adorned the rooms he entered.

Frank had apparently become accustomed to the space a long time ago and ignored Billy’s touristy-behavior as he lead him through his new work space. “It’s your job to know the location of the merchandise at all times. The collars the omega’s wear have trackers built in, but it doesn’t hurt to check.”

He halted in his steps and pressed a hand to Billy’s chest, making sure the smaller alpha was looking him in the eye. “It goes without saying, but you can never sample the merchandise for yourself. It’s our jobs to keep the omegas safe and healthy for our clients to use however they see fit. Failing to do so will result in your immediate termination.”

“Where are the omegas?” Billy asked, looking around the large empty space.

The head of security looked at his watch in contemplation. “It’s Monday so they’re getting their weekly physical checkups at our medical wing a few floors down. They should be brought back here in a few hours.”

Billy nodded. “And will taking them to different appointments be part of my job?”

The barky laugh that Frank let out surprised Billy. It was still just his first day and the alpha was already grating on his nerves.

“Nah kid. I’m in charge of taking omegas to clients. Unless there’s an emergency, you’ll just oversee security for the upper part of this building. Brenner has a separate security team for his portion of the company on the lower levels. Speaking of which,”

Frank unlocked a door next to the elevator and gestured for Billy to follow.

The doorway lead to a small security room with walls upon walls of tv screens. It was a monitoring system for the entire penthouse.

“We have cameras in every room including bedrooms and bathrooms. We don’t record audio, I want to give my omegas _some_ semblance of privacy.” Frank grinned at Billy like they were sharing some kind of hilarious joke.

 Billy hesitantly smiled back, but inwardly recoiled. The screens cast an almost inhuman hue on Frank’s face, somehow illuminating the head of security in a new light for Billy.

Frank wasn’t just a glorified pimp and guard for _Brenner Relations_.

He was a possessive, willing, and eager warden for a prison.


	2. Harsh Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy introduces himself to the omegas and is forced to face the harsh realities of what these people are forced to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't see the tags, there is a dubious/non-consensual scene closer to the end of this chapter.  
> If you don't want to see that then stop reading at "“No.” Carol whispered as she fell onto the bed...." and start again at "The drive back home was even worse than the drive to the hotel."

Billy was giving his new job second thoughts for the hundredth time that day as he scanned his security badge into the elevator. A badge that allowed him entrance to a penthouse that the tenants were unable to leave.

Frank said it was for their own safety, that the omegas were far too valuable to risk falling into the wrong hands, but Billy had a feeling the omegas’ personal safety was the least of this company's concern.

The unfortunate truth, Billy realized, was that he needed the money more than he could afford being critical of his new employers. It still didn’t make it any easier for Billy to wrap his mind around the job.

As the elevator doors opened, Billy was struck with how hollow the large apartment felt even compared to yesterday when he first laid eyes on it.

He remained in the entryway, unsure how to proceed. Billy was supposed to introduce himself to the omegas and find a rhythm in his new job. But acting as a personal bodyguard to a single person felt a whole helluva lot different compared to this.

Billy took a deep breath and stepped into the foyer. Confidence was key when it came to establishing yourself as an authority figure.

He was hit with numerous smells and sounds all at once. Happy, chattering voices mixed with breakfast food and multiple omegas. Voices that died down once his presence was noticed.

There were six omegas lounging on the plush couches, and one in the kitchen, boys and girls alike. All eyes were on him.

Billy cleared his throat. “Hi, My name’s Billy.”

He was met with silence.

“Uh, I’m your new security guard.”

A few of the omegas on the couches shared cautious glances. Billy could smell the fear coming off of some of them. “Listen, I’m just planning on settling in and getting to know everyone. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Wow, you’ve never done this before have you?” An unknown voice spoke up from down the hall.

Billy turned to watch an eighth omega enter the kitchen.

The first thing he noticed what how unafraid he smelled compared to the other inhabitants. The second was how breathtakingly handsome he was.

The omega was wearing dark baggy pj pants and a white cotton t-shirt. The wardrobe seemed to perfectly compliment his thick dark hair that framed soft features and deep brown eyes.

Billy thought of a hunting trip Neil took him on long before he ever presented as an alpha. It was the first time he’d ever seen a deer in the wild. A doe with wise bright eyes. She was standing in the middle of a clearing, watching Billy, unblinking and unafraid.

Neil shot her clean between the eyes and laughed at Billy when he cried.

The brunet staring defiantly at Billy reminded him of that doe as he leaned over and grabbed an orange from the breakfast spread on the kitchen counter. “The last thing Brenner will want you to do is get to know any of us more than you have to.”

Billy didn’t fail to notice how the man had strategically placed himself between Billy and the omega girl in the kitchen, or how all the other people in the room seemed to give him their undivided attention. Billy was most likely looking at their de facto leader. Befriending him would probably make his job worlds easier.

Billy shrugged. “From my past experience, it’s better if I’m friends with the people I’m supposed to protect.”

“Mmm, _protect_.” The omega repeated.

Billy watched as the girl offered the brunet some kind of salve. Without speaking, the omega accepted it and tugged at the neckline of his shirt, revealing a series of bite marks all along his collarbone. He winced as he massaged the ointment into the wounds. “Trust me _William_ , it’ll be better for everyone if you keep your distance.”

Billy didn’t know what to say, especially after having his first name thrown back in his face with such vehement rejection. The other man was just verbalizing what Billy had been feeling the entire commute to work. That this company was balancing on the edge of a knife between professionalism and fucked-up, and Billy had made himself partially responsible for it by taking the job.

The marks on the omega’s skin only seemed to confirm that feeling.

Billy licked his lips before speaking, “Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. Hell, you probably have good reason to fear me. But I’m not here to hurt you. I want to help in whatever way I can.”

The girl leaned into the other omega and whispered. “He doesn’t talk like the others, Steve.”

Billy quickly committed the name to memory. _Steve._ It suited him, Billy thought as he watched Steve scoff and disappear down the hall back to where the bedrooms were located.

The room fell silent again, and not for the first time Billy found himself wishing Frank had given him some kind of roster with everyone’s names on it. This was a lot to remember for the first day, and Billy felt like he was already losing his footing.

As if reading his mind, the girl previously standing next to Steve moved forward and extended a hand.

“I’m Carol,” she gestured towards the occupants of the living room. “On the couch are Brett and Lori, they’re twins.”

  
The two siblings cautiously waved in response as Carol continued introducing the other omegas. “And that’s Nick, Claire, Tonya, and Beth.”

  
Billy listened intently to Carol, knowing how important it was to be able to quickly identify his new charges. Despite the luxurious setting, Billy felt like he was at a pet shelter looking at a bunch of strays.

Brett and Lori were sitting close enough that their legs were pressed against each other, as if physical separation would equate to losing a limb.

Beth, a petite woman with olive skin was curled up in the couch corner like a small cat. Billy was sure any sudden movement would send her bolting from sight.

Nick reminded Billy of some of the guys he used to know back in California. Sunny bleached blond hair and tanned skin. His cloudy eyes and relaxed posture spoke of years of self-medication.

The girl next to Nick, Claire, reminded Billy of his little sister back home. Billy wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing considering where Claire was working, but he couldn’t deny that her fiery red hair and sharp blue eyes brought some familiar comfort.

Tonya on the other hand, reminded him of Neil. Her steel grey eyes seemed to be analyzing and picking him apart. The sneer tugging at the corner of her mouth let Billy know that she was not impressed with what she saw.

  
Carol nudged Billy with her shoulder. “Don’t worry about Steve, he’s always a little grumpy in the morning.”

  
“Is he alright?” Billy found himself asking, gesturing to his own collarbone.

  
Carol’s smile faltered as she looked to where Steve used to be. “Some... customers like to get rough with us. Steve volunteers for those clients as much as possible. I think he’s trying to protect us, but it takes a toll.”

“It’s not like any of us ask him to do that,” Tonya rolled her eyes. “I don’t see why you guys act like he’s such a martyr. The freak probably gets off on those kinds of people.”

Billy turned to Carol, ignoring Tonya’s comment. “Does he need anything? Medicine or bandages...?”

  
Carol shook her head. “We get everything we need from the medical wing.”

  
Billy nodded and turned back to where Steve had disappeared. All the different scents in the space were extremely dulled down (probably from the collars), but he still found himself desperately trying to catch a whiff of the omega’s scent.

  
“Were you being serious when you said you wanted to help?”

  
Billy snapped his eyes back to Carol. She was self-consciously tugging at the collar around her neck, her eyes looked cautiously hopeful. He nodded.

  
“Do you think you could get a message to-“

  
“Carol!” Steve snapped as he walked back into the common area. His eyes were darker, filled with a stern warning as he handed Billy a sheet of paper.

  
“Here’s our weekly schedule. It might help you actually do your job.”

  
Billy accepted the slip of paper and looked around the room at the omegas staring back at him. That’s when he realized... he was just another Frank to these people. Hired muscle. An enforcer. Someone to keep them all in line.

It would take a lot more than kind words and a smile to make them see him as anything else.

As if on cue the elevator doors pinged open and Frank stepped out. Half the omegas instinctively averted their eyes or shifted to more submissive, unassuming postures.

Frank was either oblivious or used to that behavior, because he didn’t miss a beat as he held three small pieces of paper above his head. “Dance-cards are in ladies and gentlemen.”

Even Steve’s head snapped to attention as the larger alpha made his way around the room.

“Tonya,” Frank read off one of the cards, “you’ve been requested for the end of the week. It’s a new client so go easy on him.”

The omega sighed and pouted up at Frank. “Pity, I usually like my alphas with a little bite to them…”

Billy didn’t miss Steve huffing a strand of hair out of his face in annoyance.

Frank shook his head and stepped away. “Pity I don’t make the rules around here sweetie.” He said with a wink.

The exchange left Billy feeling gross. He was beginning to see why Steve was trying to keep him at arm's length from the other omegas. It was too easy for someone like Frank to step in and abuse the power he had over them.

Frank walked to the end of the couch. “Twins! Very exciting news. You two are going abroad.”

Brett glanced at his sister as he hesitantly accepted the card. “We are?”

“Yeah some Ukrainian guy Brenner met is interested in this place. So interested that he’s requested the two of you for the week. We’re leaving in thirty minutes so pack your things.”

Lori stood and pulled her brother off the couch and towards the bedrooms. Neither of them looked excited at the news.

“Aaaannd last, and arguably least: Carol.” Frank turned on his heels and handed her the last card. “That Williamson guy must have taken a shine to you because he wants another round tonight.”

Steve stiffened as Carol took the card. Billy could smell the fear wafting from her as she looked up at Frank. “Tonight? But you’re leaving with the twins so who--?”

“Mr. Hargrove over here will escort you.” Frank interrupted and slapped Billy on the back.

“I thought you said I wouldn’t be in charge of taking any of the omegas to their appointments.” Billy interjected.

He could see Frank’s jaw tighten at being challenged. “Yeah well, your job description just expanded. Congratulations. Carol will show you what to do once you get to the hotel.”

The alpha made sure Billy was paying attention as he pointed to the omega in question. “She is not allowed out of your sight. Ever. During transit the windows will remain up and she will not be in contact with anyone except her client. Got it?”

Frank didn’t wait to hear his response. Instead he turned and shouted down the hall, “Hey! Dee and Dum! Get your asses moving!”

The twins had one bag between the two of them as the darted past Billy, only risking a quick goodbye to the rest of their friends before being herded into the elevator.

There was almost a somberness to the way the omegas departed. As the doors closed Billy could almost swear he saw Lori trembling.

The remaining occupants stayed motionless for a moment as they heard the elevator descend.

“Fuck.” Steve growled and began pacing the kitchen.

“They’re going to come back.” Nick offered from where he was still slouched on the sofa.

“Really?” Steve rounded on the other omega. “Just like Stacy came back?”

Claire leaned forward from where she was sitting. “That was different, Stacey’s contract was up and she was able to go home.”

“Yeah I’m sure that’s what they want us to believe.” Steve turned back to the kitchen. There was something about his state that reminded Billy of his life with Neil. Like he was a caged animal that was slowly but surely going crazy.

“Well,” Carol began, “I guess I’d better get ready.”

She held the card in her hand like it might burn her as she shifted from one foot to the next, clearly nervous. That’s all it took to bring Steve down from whatever manic state he was psyching himself into.

Suddenly his fiery eyes were back to soft pools of warmth. “Do you need me to help?”

“No, I can manage.” Carol smiled weakly and began to make her way down the hall.

Billy once again found himself as a loss for what to do. He never imagined he’d be taking one of the omegas to a client on his first day. That was both an incredible responsibility and a sickening task he didn’t know if he was prepared for.

Billy didn’t feel like Frank, he didn’t _want_ to feel like the other alpha. But he wasn’t any closer to the omegas either. He felt stuck somewhere in the middle, unsure as to what side he truly belonged on.

* * *

 

Billy and Carol stood in silence as the elevator descended to the building’s garage.

“He is nice when you actually get to know him.” Carol spoke.

Billy turned, but the small omega next to him kept her eyes on the doors. “Huh?”

“Steve. He’s just angry and misses his friends.” She looked down at her shoes. Something told Billy that Steve wasn’t the only one who missed people on the outside.

“Did you two know each other before this?”

Carol looked up with a sad smile and nodded. She wasn’t Billy’s type, but there was certainly an undeniable beauty to her features. She reminded him of the women depicted in renaissance paintings. Bright, full-figured, and possessing the perfect harmony of strength and grace.

“We went to school together, shared friends, and were planning on going to the same college.” Carol brushed away a tear from her face, careful not to smear her makeup. “Things changed when Steve and I presented as omegas, god that feels so long ago…”

Billy offered her a tissue that she graciously accepted. “I think I’d be pretty angry too if I had to leave that life behind.”

“Oh, Steve’s not mad about that,” Carol laughed bitterly and shook her head. “His parents sold him to Brenner Relations in exchange for stock in the company. They’re literally making money from whoring their son off to the highest bidder.”

Billy felt his stomach churn at Carol’s words. What kind of person does that to their own son?

Neil would have, if he had the chance. But he didn’t, because Billy was an alpha. Steve’s hadn’t been that lucky.

“I’m sorry.” He offered lamely, knowing that sorry didn’t begin to cover the fucked-up life that these people were coerced into living.

“How did you…?” Billy began, unsure if he could, or even wanted to finish the question.

“How did I end up here?” Carol finished, handing the tissue back. “Brenner Relations offers a five-year contract to any interested and unbound omega. I get five percent of whatever I make, and I get to keep the clothes and trinkets that clients bought me at the end of the contract.”

“Five percent?” Billy stared in surprise. That was nothing!

Carol sadly shrugged. “It doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s a pretty sizeable nest-egg for when I get out of here. I couldn’t afford to live anywhere after high school. This place was kind of my only option. I’m actually lucky I got in…” She trailed off, half-heartedly.

Billy was still in shock. “You consider yourself lucky to be here?”

Carol frowned. “Almost all of us do, but I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” She turned away from Billy, staring resolutely at the empty elevator wall.

“How could you?” She whispered, “How could someone who chooses this kind of job ever understand people who never had a choice.”

* * *

 

The hotel suite looked more like an apartment to Billy. But then again, anything would look absolutely lavish compared to the closet he was renting.

There was a fully stocked kitchen and spacious bathroom, but the obvious focal point within the space was the queen-sized bed. Billy felt like he was more uneasy than Carol when they entered the room.

The omega hadn’t said much on the drive over, but this clearly wasn’t new territory for her.

“Banana Bread.” She said as she reached for a wrapped present on the bed.

Billy turned in confusion. “Sorry?”

Carol unwrapped the gift to reveal a school-girl’s outfit. Her expression remained uncharacteristically blank. “That’s my safeword. If I say it during any part of the night then you need to step in.”

“H-how will I hear you? Is there a room I’m going to be listening from…?”” Billy looked around the suite again, but he couldn’t see any obvious spaces.

Carol shook her head. “You have to stay and watch.”

“Excuse me?”

The omega pointed to a chair in the corner of the opposite end of the room. “Frank usually sits there. You don’t have to say or do anything. The client will probably pretend you’re not here anyway. You just need to make sure he doesn’t get too rough.”

Billy felt sick to his stomach as he stared at the corner. “How will I know?”

Carol shrugged and looked down at the outfit in her hands, gently rubbing the material between her fingers. “If he starts getting too violent. Mostly if he tried to damage this.”

She vaguely gestured to the collar around her neck. “I need to get changed. You should probably make yourself comfortable, he’ll be here soon.”

Billy sat down in the chair, feeling utterly helpless and out of place. He didn’t know if he could actually go through with this, watching Carol submit to some rich perv. This wasn’t the job he signed up for.

With nothing else to do, Billy reached for the “dance card” that Frank had given Carol earlier. At first it looked like some kind of business card, but upon closer inspection Billy realized it was more like a restaurant ticket for sexual fantasies.

_“Student/Teacher fantasy (uniform provided). Virgin-fantasy. Resistance. Oral & Penetration.”_

It felt so dehumanizing to see Carol’s night printed out for her like she was some customizable toy. That’s probably all she was in the eyes of her clients.

Billy was on the verge of bolting and taking Carol with him when there was a knock at the door.

Carol emerged from the bathroom dressed in the school girl’s outfit. “Just remember the safe word.” She whispered to him before reaching for the doorknob.

There was a brief moment where Carol seemed to take a deep breath and collect herself before she pulled the door open with a smile.

“Mr. Williamson! Thank you so much for coming!” She stepped aside and allowed her client to enter.

Whatever Billy was expecting, Williamson did not match up.

The guy genuinely looked like a college professor! Which granted, could easily just be part of the fantasy, but Billy’s gut told him this was an outlet for Williamson to experience things he wanted to enact in reality.

“Miss Harper,” Williamson removed his glasses and looked her over. “I’m hoping you know why I asked to meet.”

Carol brought delicate, painted nails up to her face in contemplation. “I thought you wanted to talk about my grade on the last test.”

Williamson smiled and shook his head. For a split second he met Billy eye and they both acknowledged each other’s presence, but then the man slipped back into his fantasy.

“As a matter of fact Miss Harper, it’s come to my knowledge that you cheated on that test.”

Carol gasped in shock and Billy had to hand it to her, she could sell a scene. “That’s no true! How could you say something like that?”

Williamson stepped into Carol’s personal space, backing her up against the bed. “It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, the school board will have you expelled once they hear about this.”

“No.” Carol whispered as she fell onto the bed. “There has to be something you can do, you have to believe me!”

Williamson smiled and tugged at one of the buttons on Carols blouse, popping it open and revealing some cleavage. “Well, I’m sure we can come to… some kind of agreement…”

Carol’s eyes widened as she held her arms protectively over her chest. “No Mr. Williamson please!”

She turned to her side, eyes misting over with tears. “I-I’m saving myself for someone…”

There was something to the delivery of that line that struck Billy. It made him wonder if there _was_ someone out there waiting for Carol.

Williamson laughed and pulled her hands away. “Frankly my child, I don’t care what you want.”

He dove on top of Carol, her screams filling the room as he tore away her clothes and hiked up her skirt, revealing pink lace panties.

Billy was frozen on the edge of his seat. His eyes remained focused on Carol’s face, waiting for her to call out her safe word.

But it never happened, not when Williamson pinched and twisted her breasts until they were red, or even when he turned her over and forced himself inside her.

Carol screamed and cried almost the entire night. But she never called for Billy to save her.

The minute Williamson left the apartment, Billy was on his feet and running across the room.

“Are you alright?” He reached out, but was afraid to touch her.

Carol looked absolutely spent, and there were still tears falling down her face. Her eyes refused to focus, but she managed to give a nod. “C-could you help me to the shower?”

Billy didn’t think twice before gently scooping her up and carrying Carol to the bathroom. Even to Billy’s nose, she stank of alpha and sweat. He couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling.

Carol stood against the tiled shower and took a few shaky breaths. “I’ve got it from here.

Thanks.”

Billy didn’t want to leave. But he didn’t want Carol to feel any worse than she obviously already did. Which is why he found himself back in that awful chair, resolutely not looking at the bed and messy sheets in the middle of the room.

The only thing he seemed to be able to focus on was the muffled sound of Carol crying.

* * *

 

The drive back home was even worse than the drive to the hotel. Billy felt sick to his stomach, and Carol seemed almost entirely checked out.

“Is there anything I can do? Anything I can get you?” He offered.

Carol slowly turned to stare at him. Her eyes were distant and red-rimmed from the crying. “Can you go back in time and make sure I never present as an omega?”

Billy frowned and turned his eyes back to the road. He heard Carol sigh.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” She leaned her head back and stared up at the stars through the car window.

“I used to love the stars.” She half-whispered to herself. “I liked the idea that they were somehow responsible for our traits and destinies.”

Billy watched as Carol blinked away more tears and stubbornly rubbed at her nose. “But now I hate it. I hate that maybe someone or something out there always meant for me to be an omega, to suffer. The stars seem so cold and far away now. Just like everything else.”

The car was once again filled with silence. Billy absently wondered how Frank handled these situations. The shattered aftermath that must have occurred after every client.

Frank probably would have kept Carol in the backseat, refusing to acknowledge or attempt to fix any of this wretched night.

But Billy wasn’t Frank.

He pressed a button on the console, and Carol’s window began to roll down.

She stared in surprise at first, her eyes suddenly alert as she turned to Billy, checking to see if this were some kind of trick.

He merely kept his eyes on the empty road and gave a small nod.

Carol slowly smiled before she leaned out the car window and felt the cold night air blowing past her face for the first time in years, completely disregarding any rules or restrictions that previously held her prisoner. Her thick brown hair blew all around her, tangling carefree in the wind as Carol began to laugh. Her voice sounded raw and scratched, and Billy tried not to think about the night’s events that caused it.

Billy still felt sick to his stomach after the hotel room. But a small smile crept along his face as he watched Carol look at the stars and stick her hand out to feel the wind pushing back at her.

He might not have been able to protect her from her client. But he could do this.

For a small window of time, in the dead of night where no prying eyes or rough voices could hurt her, Carol was free. If only for just a moment.

But maybe a moment was enough for now.

* * *

 

By the time they got back to Brenner Relations, the entire building was dark. Carol was still smiling as they rode the elevator up to the penthouse. She hadn’t spoken much, but Billy didn’t expect her to.

He was surprised to see Steve waiting for them when the doors opened. The omega was sitting on the couch, a blanket bunched up in his hands as if he had been wringing it all night.

“Steve!” Carol whispered and happily bounced into his personal space.

Steve stood and pulled her into a hug. “Are you alright?”

Carol sighed and nodded into his shoulder. “It wasn’t so bad. He didn’t want me the entire night.”

They remained like that for a moment, allowing the two omegas to even out their breathing and relax into each other’s arms. Eventually Steve pulled Carol at arm’s length and looked her over. He frowned when he noticed her wind-blown hair.

“What happened to your hair?” He asked, reaching out and trying to detangle the mess on top of her head.

“Oh!” Carol smiled and looked over her shoulder. “Billy let me put my head out the window on the drive back. It was amazing, you should have seen the stars!”

Billy watched Steve focus on him as if the omega hadn’t noticed his presence until now. Those eyes that were so guarded earlier this morning now held something that resembled soft curiosity.

“You did that for her?”

Billy shrugged, suddenly extremely self-conscious under Steve’s gaze. What was it about the omega that completely evaporated his defenses? “I… I just wanted to help.”

Steve slowly detached himself from Carol and shuffled over to where the alpha still stood in the entryway. For what felt like forever, all Steve did was stare as if he were searching for something in Billy’s deep blue eyes.

Whatever it was, Steve must have found it because he slowly offered his hand to the alpha. “Thank you.”

Billy felt like a seventeen-year-old with a crush as he shook the omega’s hand, trying not to react to how soft and warm it felt. It was nothing like Frank’s, or any alpha’s handshake for that matter. There was no show of dominance or strength. It felt genuine, and welcoming.

“Don’t mention it.” Billy mumbled as he turned back to the elevator.

“Good night Billy!” Carol whispered.

“Night,” Billy turned back as he walked away, which resulted in him walking into the elevator doors as they opened.

 Billy felt like such an embarrassing idiot, until he heard a soft laugh behind him. Turning again, Billy watched as Steve covered his mouth, trying to conceal the grin that had spread across his face. Steve’s laugh wasn’t cruel, or mocking. Billy could listen to that sound for the rest of his life and never get tired of it.

As the elevator doors closed in front of him, Billy licked his lips. “Good night Steve.”

The elevator began to move downwards. But Billy’s enhanced hearing was still able to pick up the words Steve whispered after the doors closed.

_“Good night, Billy.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for putting Carol through the wringer here guys. Fell free to yell at me in the comments below.  
> Thank you also so much to those who have already left comments! You guys make me so happy and I love you to death!!!


	3. Lucky Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy learns more about Steve and meets another employee of Brenner Relations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those who have commented. It means the world to me and makes writing this fic all the easier knowing people enjoy it.
> 
> Chapter Warning:  
> There are some non-con elements described in this chapter. If you don't want to see that then stop reading at "“Do you wanna see something?” Frank’s voice snapped him back to reality." and pick up again at "Wha-” Billy swallowed down the lump in his throat."

“What are you reading?” Billy asked as he entered the apartment. It had been a few weeks and he had finally gotten to the point where he felt settled and somewhat comfortable at his new job.

Steve looked up from where he was sitting at the kitchen counter, his head resting atop his folded hands. “Dantès’ 10 Most Successful Ways to Escape Confinement.”

There was an awkward silence within the space until Steve burst into a fit of laughter. “I’m kidding. As if Frank would let that kind of literature past that elevator. It’s Little Women.”

“Oh,” Billy let out a relieved sigh. “I’ve never read that book.”

Billy’s loyalties were still sided with his employer, and losing one of the omegas would reflect poorly on his abilities as a guard. But he couldn’t deny that he was developing a soft spot for his charges.

“It’s pretty good, when I was younger it made me wish I had siblings.” Steve smiled fondly at the old paperback before offering it to Billy. “You can borrow it if you want.”

Billy accepted the worn copy and gently turned it over in his hands. It was probably one of Steve’s few comfort items that he was allowed to keep with him, and he was just offering it without asking for anything in return.

“Thank you.” Billy smiled before glancing around the empty space

The large apartment was eerily quiet, not at all reflecting the eight people that lived within it. “Is everyone sleeping?”

Steve nodded and followed Billy’s eyes around the room. “When you work at night your sleep schedule tends to vary.”

“You’re not tired?” Billy had gotten used to the eclectic schedules of the omegas.

In his time working at Brenner Relations, he’d come to understand that the omegas’ lives revolved around the act of waiting. And when they weren’t waiting they wished they were.

“I’m always tired.” Steve rolled his eyes. “I just like to have a little time for myself.”

Billy nodded. He tried not to get too involved in Steve’s work. This was a dark unpleasant life, and as unfair to the omegas as it sounded, Billy wanted to have as small a part in it as possible. Watching Carol that night was experience enough for him.

“What do you do on your free time?” Steve’s voice pulled Billy from his thoughts.

His inquisitive brown eyes met Billy’s own blue. As much as the omega tried to hide it, Billy could tell how stir crazy the other was. Hell, who wouldn’t be after being restricted to the same space for so many years?

“Not much. I don’t have family, and you and the others are probably the only people I talk to regularly.”

Steve raised his eyebrows in mock-interest. “Wow. And I thought my life was sad.”

“Come on…” Billy smiled. For some reason his alpha nature didn’t mind being needled by this omega. If anything, it made him feel lighter.

“No seriously, you don’t do anything? Books? Movies?”

Billy shrugged. “I like music.”

“Everyone likes music.” Steve gave him a deadpan stare.

Billy let out a breathy laugh and ducked his head. He was always terrible at describing himself, especially when asked by someone attractive.

It also didn’t help that Neil was never the kind of father to promote that kind of stuff. Billy didn’t have a lot of practice when it came to identifying self-worth.

“You have to at least be playing some kind of sport. I mean look at you!” Steve gestured to Billy. “You’re like a god!”

Billy thanked whoever was listening that he had his head ducked down when Steve spoke. It would have been far too embarrassing for the omega to see him blush. Why the hell did Billy get so flustered at something as simple as a compliment?

He raised his eyes. “You know, you’re not too hard on the eyes yourself.”

Billy felt actual butterflies as he watched Steve’s face flush in surprise.

The omega suddenly broke eye contact with a sad smile. “You shouldn’t do that.”

“Do what?” Billy cocked his head to the side.

Steve wrapped his arms around himself. “Say things like that. It’s not fair.”

Billy knew he did something wrong, that he shouldn’t be talking to his charge like this. But Steve made him feel different. Like he wanted to break the rules, damn the consequences.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Steve kept his eyes focused on the ground. There was uncertainty in the air. The smell reminded Billy of the ocean during a storm. Harsh, salty to the taste, and somehow bitterly cold. Instilling the fear that the sun may never shine again.

“No.” Steve whispered.

* * *

 

Billy opened the worn copy of Little Women during his lunch break.

He discretely took a long inhale, desperately trying to catch a whiff of Steve’s scent with no luck. Billy considered lifting the pages as close as possible, but the cafe on the ground level of Brenner Relations was crowded, and he didn’t want to draw any attention to himself.

“Didn’t take you for the reading type.” Frank sat down across from Billy.

Instinctively, Billy pulled the book away from the other alpha. He had no understandable explanation for that other than the fact that it belonged to Steve, and maybe he felt like he was somehow also protecting the omega.

Frank didn’t notice or seem to care though. He merely smirked and leaned back in his chair. “So how are you liking it at Brenner Relations?”

“It’s fine. The omegas have been pretty easy to manage actually.” Billy made eye contact with Frank, feeling his alpha nature begging to challenge the larger man. He wondered if all other alphas struggled with controlling their more aggressive side, or if it was just a result of Neil’s shitty parenting.

“Pshhh!” Frank blew air out of his nose. “It’s boring when they’re easy to manage. I like it better when they have a little fight in em.”

His chair creaked as Frank leaned forward. “I never did get to ask, what did you think of your night with Carol?”

Billy tried to shrug as casually as possible. He had been trying very hard to forget that night, but he wasn’t going to tell Frank that. “Must be wild having that as a part of your job.”

“Wild is sure one way to put it.” Frank bared his teeth with a sickening grin. “You should see some of the other omegas in action. My god do some of them know how to play pretend.”

Frank gestured upwards to where the apartment was located. “Stevie-boy? I don’t know when that kids ever _not_ putting on a show.”

“What do you mean?” Billy’s heart skipped at the mere mention of the omega’s name. Shit, he was really falling for the omega.

Frank raised an eyebrow. “Oh come on, you’ve had to have noticed by now…”

His grin only grew more predatory when Frank was met with silence. “Steve Harrington has this way of making you feel like you’re the most important person in the room. He’s got that perfect combination of omega magnetism mixed with those come-fuck-me eyes. He can wrap clients around his little finger like it was nothing.”

Frank must have noticed the slight shift in Billy’s mood. Some kind of tell that betrayed the fact that Billy knew exactly what he was talking about. “And if you’re not careful kid, he’ll do the same to you. That little brat is only looking after himself, remember that.”

Billy swallowed and nodded. “Thanks.”

How could he have been so stupid? Frank may be a total asshole, but he was right. Steve was probably trying to cozy up to Billy to get something. Maybe even to convince him to help the omega escape. Steve had a slew of clients all looking to spend a night with him, why did Billy think he was any different?

“Do you wanna see something?” Frank’s voice snapped him back to reality.

The other alpha had his hand in his inner-jacket pocket and was looking around like some kind of spy. “Our clients aren’t allowed to take pictures for security reasons, but there are no rules for us.”

Frank pulled a small stack of polaroids out of his wallet and slid them across the table. It took everything in Billy’s power not to immediately wretch when he actually processed what he was looking at.

They were photos of Steve surrounded by men, seemingly all from the same night. He was bound and gagged with his arms behind his back, and almost his entire body was covered by some kind of mark. Most of them were bite marks or bruises from some alpha sucking a hickey into his skin too hard. Others were words drawn in sharpie like “cum slut” or “whore.”

One image showed an arrow pointing towards Steve’s ass and the words “fill me” drawn next to it.

Steve’s eyes looked utterly afraid in every picture except for the last. In that one Steve was still gagged and tied up, but he was all alone on the large bed. His eyes were closed as if he’d passed out from exhaustion. His face was still drawn up in pain even while unconscious.

“It was Steve’s first year with us. A bunch of guys were remembering their college days and wanted to recreate a frat party with one of our omegas. And I knew exactly who to suggest.” Frank said as he took the photos back, giving them one last look before returning them to his wallet.

“God you have no idea how close I was to having my way with that bitch after the clients had left. He was all marked up anyway, no one would have noticed a few more.”

“Wha-” Billy swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Aren’t there company rules about clients gagging the omegas?”

Frank laughed and shook his head. “Trust me, once you’ve been here a while you’re going to wish Steve was gagged all the time. I mean the mouth on that--”

A harsh ringtone interrupted whatever else Frank was going to say. The alpha looked at the screen and frowned. “Shit, it’s Brenner. I’ll see you later.”

Billy waited until Frank was out of eyesight before leaning forward and resting his head on Steve’s book. He genuinely thought he was going to be sick after he saw those photographs. And the callous way Frank brushed off the question about the gag…

Billy’s stomach turned at the thought of how many times Steve must have been desperately trying to scream out that night and couldn’t. It was beyond cruel. It was heartless.

He felt a growl trying to claw its way out of his throat. Billy wanted to tear Frank apart. The man was a monster, and no amount of money was worth Billy affiliating with the likes of him. He’d been bullied and terrorized by a monster his entire life. He’ll be damned if he becomes one.

Billy was still struggling to breath evenly as he heard footsteps approaching. If it was Frank again Billy was genuinely going to throw up.

Except it didn’t smell like Frank. Whoever it was smelled like gingerbread, firewood, and stale coffee.

“Mind if I sit here?” Billy looked up into the eyes of a man, an alpha, wearing a security suit.

The man must have taken Billy’s silent stare for acceptance because he sat himself down. “I’m Hopper, Jim Hopper, I run the security for the lower levels of this place.”

“Billy Hargrove.” Billy said, glancing down at the book in front of him. He had no idea how he was going to be able to look Steve in the eye after seeing those photos. He had no idea how Steve managed to recover from that kind of trauma.

Hopper took a sip from his cup of coffee and grimaced. “Shit, with the money this place is making you’d think they’d sell better coffee.”

Billy nodded absently in response. He wasn’t in the mood for entertaining company right now.

But Hopper didn’t seem to notice. “Say you work upstairs security right? Any idea how these guys actually afford all this?”

Billy made eye contact at the man across from him bit into an apple. He didn’t look dangerous, but there was something about him that felt off.

“Isn’t it a company rule that we’re not supposed to talk about our jobs?” Billy asked in response.

This could very easily be a trap, or some kind of test Brenner implemented to make sure Billy wasn’t going to start spilling company secrets. He wouldn’t put it past his employer to pull something like that. The man seemed to have a thing for mind games.

Hopper lifted his arms in mock surrender, apple still clutched in one on his hands. “My bad kid. I guess when I took this job I was expecting something a little more exciting. All I get to do is guard the records room and make sure no one steals the coffee.”

Billy smiled more genuinely this time. “I didn’t realize coffee theft was such a big problem in this company.”

“It’s not. Because I do my damn job.” Hopper smiled and tipped his non-existent hat like a cowboy in an old western.

That time Billy did laugh. It felt better than letting his mind wander back to Frank’s photos.

It was also nice to talk to someone that Billy wasn’t paid to guard. “So then you must spend a lot of time in the records room then.”

“It’s mostly boring shit,” Hopper mouthed around a bite from his apple. “Just files on all the employees that work here like birth dates, the year they were hired, alignments, et cetera, et cetera…”

Hopper leaned forward conspiratorially. “Did you know this company has eight omegas employed here? I’ve been working at this place a few years now and I haven’t come across a single one. Weird right?”

Billy nodded, watching Hopper carefully. And he could tell the other man was doing the same. This was a test, Billy just wasn’t sure what for yet.

“Well have you seen any?” Hopper asked curiously.

Anyone not paying attention would have just taken him for a low-rate security guard who didn’t know when to mind his own business. That’s probably what Hopper and whoever he was working for wanted people to believe.

“Nope.” Billy shook his head. “I haven’t smelled anything.”

Hopper nodded in response before gesturing to Steve’s book with his chin. “Great book by the way. I always had a bit of a thing for Jo. Friend lend that to you?”

_Oh shit._

“Yeah,” Billy pulled the book closer to himself, “Yeah they did.”

Hopper smiled around his last bite of apple before checking his watch. “Welp, that’s my lunch break. See you around kid.”

Billy’s smile fell after Hopper’s back was turned. Had the other alpha smelled Steve on the book? Did he know something?

But he hadn’t said anything to Hopper, it’s not like he could be reprimanded for breaching the company’s security policy.

The sight of Frank storming out of the elevators towards Billy did nothing to change the rising panic in the pit of his stomach.

Had all of this been a test, and Frank was just waiting to pounce and tell him he’d failed?

As dirty as this job made Billy feel, he still really needed the money. Getting fired was not an option right now.

“It’s your lucky night.” Frank growled and threw a small object at Billy.

His heightened alpha reflexes were probably the only thing that helped Billy catch and identify the object as a hotel room key. “Wha--”

“The boss needs me on a business trip, so you’re chaperoning tonight.” Frank explained as he pulled a dance card out of his pocket and handed it to a stunned Billy.

This wasn’t at all what he was expecting for Frank to say. But it wasn’t good news either, especially when Billy noticed the name professionally printed on the card.

“Steve? I’m watching Steve?”

Frank’s phone rang, and the alpha smiled a not-too friendly grin as he walked away to answer it. “Like I said, it’s your lucky night.”

* * *

 

Not much was said during the trip to the hotel that night.

Billy was too busy feeling ashamed for seeing those photos of Steve, for his part in this company. He wanted to reach out and offer some kind of comfort, like he had with Carol, but Steve hadn’t said anything since they left the apartment. In fact he barely looked at Billy at all the entire car ride.

The silence was finally broken when they got to the hotel room.

“Mango.” Steve said as he walked over to the bed where a package was waiting for him.

“Is that your safeword?” Billy watched from across the room as the omega unwrapped his gift.

Steve nodded and opened his mouth to respond, but froze when he caught sight of the outfit he was supposed to wear.

Billy unconsciously found himself moving across the room. “What’s wrong?”

The clothes weren’t at all shocking. In fact, they seemed better suited for daily-living as opposed to a risqué evening.

Steve gently lifted the soft green sweatshirt to his face and rubbed it against his cheek. The scene reminded Billy of a child with their favorite blanket. Steve’s eyes were closed, as if he were somewhere else.

When they opened again, they were misted over, and looked almost younger somehow. “I used to own a shirt like this.”

“You mean before…” Steve nodded before Billy could finish his sentence. The omega still hadn’t looked him in the eye since that morning.

“I had hoped you’d never have to see this part of my life.” Steve started, anxiously bunching the shirt up in his hands. “Frank is usually so possessive, I didn’t think he’d _let_ you chaperone me.”

Steve took a deep breath and met Billy’s eyes with a sad smile. “I think I liked the thought that who I was with you... wasn’t connected to what I am here. Figures I’d lose that too...”

“I won’t think any different of you.” Billy hadn’t known what to say to Steve the entire evening. But those words slipped from his lips so naturally even he was surprised.

Billy didn’t even realize he felt that way until just now. After seeing Steve so fragile and lost, he felt his instincts kick in with the overwhelming need to protect the omega. It didn’t matter what Steve had endured, what other people had done to him, Billy just wanted to love and shield him from whatever comes next.

“You should.” Steve began. “You wouldn’t be able to help it, if you knew…”

The omega trailed off and Billy instinctively reached out. “Steve…?”

Steve shook his head and turned back to the clothes in his hands. “I need to get ready.” He said simply before disappearing into the bathroom.

Billy let his hand hang in mid-air briefly before retreating to the chair where he was meant to keep watch. He felt his blood boiling beneath his skin, and he couldn’t quite understand why.

It was so frustrating to be so close to Steve and not truly be able to touch him. Like there was some invisible wall keeping them apart.

Was he mad at Steve? No, that couldn’t be it. This wasn’t the omega’s fault. He was even more powerless in this environment than Billy was.

No, Billy was mad at their circumstances. At the laws set in place that practically forced omegas into these kinds of frightening positions. At people like Frank and Brenner who took advantage of those laws.

And Billy found he was even mad at himself. Because as much as he tried to ignore it, to look the other way and just accept the paycheck, this was his fault too. He wasn’t actively participating, but he wasn’t trying to stop anything either.

Steve deserved better than that. All the omegas did.

As if on cue, Steve emerged from the washroom and Billy felt his heart leap to his throat.

Steve was dressed in the sweatshirt and some faded form-fitting jeans. He looked even younger now, and so much more vulnerable.

He must have felt it too because the omega self-consciously stuffed his hands in his pocket. “It’s been a while since I’ve dressed like this.”

“You look great.” Billy tried to smile. Steve looked better than great. He looked so soft and handsome, as if simpler clothes allowed his natural beauty to shine all the brighter.

Billy wished for the hundredth time that their circumstances were different, and immediately reminded himself that he was going to have to do a whole lot more than wishing if things were ever going to change.

A knock broke the moment between the two of them.

Steve sighed and cast one final longing glance at Billy before walking towards the door. He took a moment to compose himself, and within a single breath Billy watched as Steve’s posture and presence changed.

He was no longer a scared, homesick omega. He looked like royalty with his chin held high and a sly smile planted firmly on his face.

Steve confidently pulled the hotel door open, but whatever greeting he had planned died in his throat.

Billy watched as all color drained from the other man’s face. One single name managed to escape Steve’s lips.

“Tommy?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yell at me in the comments.


	4. Tommy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! If you don't follow me on tumblr (harringrovecryptid) then you probably didn't know that I got another job! It's an amazing part-time gig at an audiobook publishing company where I literally get to listen to books for a living. The bad news is that with two jobs my schedule got kind of busy. But I think I've settled into a new rhythm and managed to find time to write again!  
> Thank you so much for your patience! I really hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 “Tommy…” Steve whispered and stepped back, allowing Billy to see the other man enter the room. He had a squirrelly freckled face and thick dark hair that matched his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Steve lifted a hand to his own chest, “You’re not…”

“No!” Tommy held up his arms. “God no I wouldn’t--”

His words were cut short when Tommy noticed Billy sitting in the corner. His eyes quickly jumped from Billy to Steve then back to Billy. “Is he…”

Steve followed Tommy’s gaze and observed the alpha. Billy could see the calculations being made behind those dark eyes, deciding whether or not Billy could be trusted, or whether or not the price for his silence would be too steep.

“Yeah…” Steve answered slowly. “Yeah he’s good. We’re safe.”

Billy felt warmth spread throughout his chest at the thought of Steve trusting him. Even if it probably wasn’t true.

Tommy spared Billy one final cautious glance before directing all his attention back to his apparent friend. “I’m not here to…”

He awkwardly gestured to the bed before swallowing and looking back at Steve. “They wouldn’t let me see Carol. I guess this place has a policy against omega’s being able to see their partners while under contract or something.”

Steve slowly nodded in understanding. “But since we never--”

“--then I could see you.” Tommy finished.

“Oh Tommy,” Steve pulled the other man into a tight hug.

For the briefest of moments Billy felt a pang of jealousy at how quickly the two slipped into their past friendship. How Tommy was able to hold Steve so close. How he was able to make Steve smile and seem more at ease.

“I missed you.” Steve spoke into Tommy’s shoulder, refusing to break their hug just yet.

“Me too.” Tommy placed a hand at the back of Steve’s neck and rubbed small absent circles into the omega’s skin. It was probably a gesture Tommy had done hundreds of times before this night. “Are you alright?”

Steve stiffened and pulled away so he could look Tommy in the eye. He began to nod out of habit before Steve stopped and shook his head in response. His voice was almost a whisper.

“I hate it here Tommy. The things they’ve… I can’t sleep, I haven’t been able to sleep because I’m so scared…”

Tommy pulled Steve into another comforting hug. His face was flooded with so many conflicting feelings as he looked to Billy. There was fear, pain, and finally accusation.

 _Why did this happen? Why did you_ let _this happen?_ His dark eyes seemed to say.

Billy wished he had an answer.

Tommy eventually turned his focus back to the omega in his arms. “We’re trying to figure out how to get you and Carol out of here. Dustin’s been working non-stop--”

Steve let out a croaked laugh at the new name. “God I miss that kid. How is he doing?”

“He’s fine, they’re all fine. They miss you.” Tommy reassured.

“Carol misses you.” Steve stepped out of Tommy’s arm and smiled sadly.

Tommy lit up like a christmas tree at just the mention of Carol’s name. His breath hitched and, yet again, his eyes were flooded with emotion. “Is she…”

“She’s fine. Well…” Steve shook his head. “As fine as she could be. I’ve been watching out for her.”

 _He’s been doing more than that._ Billy thought as he recalled how Carol told him that Steve often volunteered for the more aggressive clients to keep her safe.

“Thank you.” Tommy smiled sadly. “Will you tell her I love her and that we’ll be seeing each other soon?”

“Of course.” Steve nodded before his face softened. “How’s Nancy? Did she have a message for me?”

Tommy’s gaze turned towards the floor, as if his shoes were suddenly the most interesting thing in the room. Billy could smell the the sorrow and bitterness rolling off of the other man.

“Tommy?” Steve pushed, his brow creased with worry. “Did something happen? Is she alright?”

Tommy let out a choked noise but refused to look up. “No, no she’s fine. Nancy, uh…”

He finally met Steve’s eyes. “Nancy and Jonathan bonded last summer.”

It was like all the air was sucked out of the room. Steve’s face shifted from shock to crushing pain then back to the unreadable mask that Billy had grown accustomed to during the daytime.

“Steve… I’m so sorry.” Tommy reached out and his friend took a step back.

Steve let out a haggard breath. It was like all the fight that he had been clinging to left his body, leaving only an empty shell behind.

More than anything Billy wanted to reach out and comfort Steve, pull him into his arms and make everything okay. But Billy was stuck sitting in that goddamn chair, a useless unwanted audience witnessing a tragedy unfold.

He could only watch as Tommy gently guided Steve to sit on the corner of the bed before taking a seat next to him.

“She said she was going to wait for me.” Steve finally spoke. His voice sounded so small and weak.

Tommy sighed and wrapped an arm around his friend. “I know Steve. She wanted to, but after the second year she and Byers started to get really close, and then Jonathan went into his heat and…”

Steve shook his head. “But I loved her.”

Tommy didn't have an answer. No way to make any of this better.

So he just sat there and held Steve all the closer. But it seemed to be just what the omega needed.

In his short time working at Brenner Relations, Billy had never seen Steve so genuinely calm.

It made perfect sense though. Omegas needed intimacy and physical affection, and up to this point Billy hadn’t even considered how starved Steve must be for something as simple as a heartfelt embrace.

No demands. No expectations. Just love.

“I can’t stay.” Tommy finally spoke again.

Steve pulled away and stared helplessly at his friend. “No, you just got here you can’t--”

“I have to.” Tommy shook his head. “We’re so close to figuring out how to get you out of here, if I stay it can put everything at risk.”

Steve balled his fists, unable to do anything else, but stubbornly wishing he could.

He couldn’t ask Tommy to stay if it meant putting him at risk. He couldn’t leave with his friend. He couldn’t change or control anything in his life. He couldn’t…

Eventually Steve sighed and leaned into Tommy’s side, taking as much contact as he could get. “Will you tell Dustin that he’s a twerp and I miss him?”

Tommy smiled and nodded against Steve’s head.

“And tell Nance…”

Steve took a long breath, as if trying to steady himself.

“Tell her, it’s okay.”

Once again Billy found himself making eye-contact with Tommy. Except this time they were both sharing looks of disbelief.

None of this was okay, and Steve shouldn’t have to be the one letting his ex off the hook. He deserved better than just allowing his girlfriend to walk away and continue living her own life without even an apology.

Steve deserved better. Billy hadn’t known the omega half as long as Tommy, but even he knew that.

Tommy swallowed and shared one final glance with Billy before nodding again.

“Yeah, yeah I’ll tell her Steve.”

Steve sighed and sat up. It seemed to take a great deal of effort to detach himself from his friend’s side. He kept his eyes glued to his hands resting in his lap.

Steve didn’t want to look at Tommy anymore, too afraid that even another glance would steal away the remaining strength left in his body.

Tommy slowly stood, but lingered beside the bed before beginning to walk towards the door. He didn’t want to leave either.

Tommy twisted the knob and turned back to Steve. “I rented the room for the night. you can stay until morning. It might help you finally get some sleep.”

Steve looked up, his eyes misted over with unsteady tears. “Thank you Tommy.”

His entire body looked tense, as if Steve was seconds away from springing up and running into Tommy’s arms once again. But he remained on the bed. Steve probably knew that if he held him again then he would never let go.

Tommy must have known this too. He gave one more sad smile before disappearing from view.

Steve fell back and collapsed onto the bed. Billy watched the omega's body uncoiled as Steve pressed his palms into his eyes, trying to block everything out.

“You can do whatever you want to me, just please keep this a secret.” Steve whispered, “If Frank found out about this...” The omega visibly shuddered at the thought.

Billy stared at the man before him, imaging all the horrible things Steve must have endured. His stomach lurched at how Steve was offering himself up so willingly for Billy’s silence alone.

He stood and made his way across the room before slowly sitting down on the mattress next to Steve. He tried to ignore the way the omega flinched.

Billy couldn’t deny that he wanted Steve. Even a blind man could see that the omega was beautiful. But not like this. Not broken and helpless. No one should feel so alone.

Billy reached out and began to gingerly run his fingers through Steve’s hair in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. The omega stilled beneath him, as if unsure of how he was supposed to respond.

Billy paused to shrug off his suit jacket and scooched back on the bed so he was resting against the headboard. “Come here.”

Steve remained frozen for the briefest of moments before assuming an almost robotic-like response as he rolled over and crawled towards Billy.

He remained on all fours, ensuring that he was still lower than Billy before looking up through his dark lashes. “What would you like me to do sir?”

Billy looked into those tear-filled eyes and recognized his mistake immediately. Steve still thought Billy was going to use him for the night. Billy opened his mouth in surprise, but words refused to come out.

Steve took his silence for shyness. “It’s okay, I can start things off until you decide…”

The line felt so hollow, like Steve had said it hundreds of times before. _He probably had_ , Billy felt sick at the thought as Steve reached out and began to palm Billy through his pants.

The shock only lasted for a second longer before Billy snapped back to reality.

“No!” He nearly shouted and gripped Steve’s arm, pulling his hand away.

Steve looked terrified, like he’d made some horrible mistake and was about to be punished for it.

His eyes welled up with tears and the omega began to shake. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry…” The litany of apologies tumbled from Steve’s lips like the tears pouring down his face.

Billy shook his head and released Steve’s arm so he could cup the omega’s face. “No, shhh. I’m sorry, I should have said… I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that...” Billy whispered and reassured Steve until tears stopped and the tremors wracking the brunet’s body subsided for the most part.

Billy brushed a remaining tear away before speaking again. “I’m not going to do anything to you. I just want to help.”

Steve’s dark, red-rimmed eyes blinked in confusion. “You don’t want me?”

“No,” Billy gave a frustrated laugh and looked up at the ceiling, “No I _do_ want you, you’re beautiful and I like you, but Christ Steve your friend just told you that the girl you loved left you for someone else.”

Tears began to slowly trail down Steve’s face at the reminder of Nancy, but Billy stubbornly rubbed them away as he continued. “I wanted to be here for you. I don’t want anything from you Steve, I just want to help you.”

“Oh,” Steve whispered. But there was still fear and caution in his voice, like he forgot what it felt like to have someone care and not expect anything in return.

The omega looked so lost, and Billy’s heart ached all the more because of it.

Slowly, Steve leaned forward and rested his head on Billy’s chest. When met with no resistance he began to lie down and curl around Billy’s solid form.

They remained like that for a few minutes, Steve waiting for Billy to snap, and Billy not wanting to cross any boundaries.

He could hear Steve swallow a lump in his throat before whispering, “Could… could you put your arms around me?”

Billy smiled and slowly complied, not wanting to startle the omega. He absently traced circles along Steve’s back, hoping to sooth away the tension that still wracked the brunet’s body.

Eventually Steve’s breathing evened out and he began to relax, gently tapping along to Billy’s heartbeat on the alpha’s chest.

After a while even that stopped. Billy thought the other man had fallen asleep until Steve spoke.

“Thank you.” He all but whispered. “No one’s ever… It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this.”

Billy smiled gently and pressed a soft kiss into Steve’s thick dark hair. “I’m just glad I could help.”

He wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or his words, but whatever he did must have been the final key to Steve’s defences.

It felt like a wall crumbled down as Billy was hit with wave upon wave of emotions. Fear, sadness, mourning, loneliness, and at the very end, a faint glimmer of hope.

Steve must have felt it too because he took a sharp intake of breath and looked up into Billy’s eyes.

They didn’t say anything. They didn’t have to. It was as if their souls reached out and understood each other in ways neither Billy or Steve could ever describe.

Billy ran his fingers through Steve’s hair, no longer afraid of scaring him because he could feel exactly what Steve wanted.

Steve sat up so he could look Billy in the eyes, finally at an equal level, before leaning forward and capturing the other man’s lips.

They moved together, desperately trying to press as close together as possible, longing to feel like one single entity.

Steve cupped Billy’s face and moaned with need. It very nearly sent Billy over the edge.

Instinctively, he broke away from the kiss and moved his attention towards Steve’s neck, but was met with cold metal and a harsh dose of the reality of their position.

Billy pulled away, “Wait…”

“No, please,” Steve begged, trying to pull Billy’s face back for another kiss.

“Steve,” Billy gently held the omega’s wrists. Steve sobbed in anguish and frustration, and Billy felt like he was experiencing everything right alongside him.

“Please,” Steve whispered again, “I just want to forget. I want to forget who I am, what I am, and just be with you.”

Billy could feel his heart break as he shook his head. “We can’t.”

Steve’s head fell forward in defeat, his hair now hiding his face from the world. “It’s not fair,” he whispered.

“I know,” Billy responded, gently reaching out to tilt Steve’s chin upwards so he could look him in the eye. “But I’m going to fix this. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Steve smiled sadly and shook his head. “You can’t.”

“I can.” Billy stated with such conviction it surprised even himself. “I will.”

They stayed like that for a while, staring into each other’s eyes trying to believe the world wasn’t determined to destroy them.

Steve’s licked his lips before speaking. “Do you promise?”

Billy nodded. “I promise.” And he sealed it with a kiss.

Steve smiled before leaning into Billy’s embrace. They slept the rest of the night held tightly in each other’s arms. Nothing about their circumstances had changed. And yet, somehow everything felt different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment below if you enjoyed this chapter. I love writing this fic, but it really brightens my spirits when I see that other people enjoy it too. What part was your favorite so far/what made you feel the most?


	5. The Archive Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy does some research on Brenner Relations and comes across some grim realities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy!  
> Sorry it took a while to get this out! I was volunteering at Denver Comic Con in the past weekend and let me tell you, working 12 hour days really messes with your writing time!  
> But the update is finally here and I hope you like it!!!  
> This chapter has some much needed background info that some of you have inquired about in the comments (thank you so much for those btw).  
> Thank you again for your patience!

As much as Billy didn't care to admit it, things had changed since that night.

He couldn’t get Steve out of his head. And it wasn’t just that. He felt as if some invisible force had tethered his heart to the omega, like he was feeling echoes of Steve’s own emotions.

He convinced himself it was because Billy’s job required him to be observant, or his own heightened alpha senses allowed him to pick up the smaller details someone else might miss. But it seemed almost unexplainable how Billy knew that when Steve’s fingers curled in just-so, that the omega was nervous. Or how Steve was angry when he stared blankly at some middle distance whenever Frank came with the “dance-cards.”

His favorite moments though, were when everyone else was preoccupied and Billy would catch Steve staring at him. The brunette would smile slightly and turn away, but his gaze always seemed to come back to Billy. Maybe that magnetic pull was mutual.

Each omega was requested usually once a week. Brenner didn’t want to overwork them into exhaustion. But Billy got the impression that the waiting was just as bad.

He knew he had no right to feel claustrophobic in that suite. Billy could leave whenever he wanted. He wasn’t stuck upstairs, locked away from the outside world.

But Billy also couldn’t deny how his nerves seemed to uncoil the further away he was from the penthouse.

“Hey there Hargrove. You still reading your romance novels?” Frank said as he once again interrupted Billy’s lunch.

Billy chewed on the inside of his cheek and shook his head in response, biting down any smart remark that would have otherwise escaped his lips. “It was Little Women.”

“Whatever.” Frank ran a hand over his finely trimmed beard. Billy was suspicious that the man was actively trying to look like a member of the Italian mafia.

“By the way, I didn’t get the chance to ask you,” Frank leaned forward again, and Billy had a bad feeling he knew what was coming. “How did you like watching Steve last week?”

Billy shrugged. He figured Frank would eventually ask, which meant he had time to come up with an answer that the other guard might like. “It was fine.”

“Fine?” Frank raised an eyebrow. “Come on don’t get all shy on me now.”

Billy could feel his stomach churning, feel the muscles in his hands tightening, itching to take a swing. But he managed a sly smile instead. “Let’s just say, I get why he’s your favorite.”

Frank laughed and slapped a hand against the table. “I told you he could put on a show!”

Billy quietly laughed along with him, feeling sick to his stomach.

“Did I ever tell you I was there on his first night?” Frank asked, like he was sharing an old high school story over drinks. “The brat was so scared, shaking like a leaf the entire time. And I mean the client didn’t care. They actually paid extra to have him first.”

Frank’s eyes seemed to glaze over as the memories came to the forefront of his mind. “Afterwards he begged me to let him leave. Said he’d let me do whatever I wanted if I just got him out of there...”

He trailed off as he caught sight of recognition in Billy’s eyes. “Oh shit, he told you something similar, didn’t he?”

Frank took Billy’s silence as an answer and grinned and shook his head. “I was curious if he was still up to his old tricks. Did you take him up on his offer?”

“No.” Billy responded automatically, trying to remain as neutral-sounding as possible. “Did you?”

Frank sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I seriously thought about it. Do what I wanted with him, that is… not help him escape. I’ve been close a few times. It’d be so easy to get that collar off and just…”

Frank’s hands balled into fists, as if he were trying to grasp something out of reach. “ _Claim_ him.”

“So why haven’t you?” Billy watched Frank’s hands, imagining what it would be like to break each and every one of his fingers. His blood felt like it was boiling just beneath his skin.

The older man smirked and stood. “The pay’s too good to blow it all on just one fuck. I figure I’ll get my chance eventually.”

His tone might have been casual, but his posture was stiff and his eyes were cold. “Keep on your toes with Steve. He’s not afraid of using people to get what he wants.”

Frank pulled a keycard out from his breast pocket and handed it over to Billy. “Give yourself a tour of our archive room, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

Billy accepted the heavy metallic card and stared at Frank’s retreating form. The man always left a bad taste in his mouth after every conversation, like an old penny.

He toyed with the card in his hand, debating whether he wanted to listen to Frank at all.

But he had a small nagging feeling now, strong enough to distract him from the magnetic pull that seemed to want to tether him to Steve.

What if he was being played? What if this was some kind of empathic omega trick to make Billy want to help him? They’d just met, and Billy could just be another mark or client in Steve’s eyes.

Billy gripped the card tight and rose from his seat.

He had to know. Had to be sure.

* * *

 

“Hey kid,” Hopper rose from behind his desk, “can I help you with something?”

Billy didn’t miss how Hopper’s hand casually drifted behind his back as he approached. Was he reaching for something?

“Frank just wanted me to check on something in the archive room.”

For a moment, Hopper visibly relaxed, as if he had been expecting something more serious. “Oh, okay. Well you’re going to need some extra security to get…”

Billy held up the key card. “I can take it from here.”

“Huh, how ‘bout that.” Hopper took the key card and weighed it in his palm. “Well it’s protocol that I walk you back there.”

Billy fought back a sigh. More than anything, he just wanted to be alone while he browsed the archives. He didn’t want some low-rate security guard poking around or asking questions that even Billy didn’t want answers to. But if that’s what it’d take…

Billy nodded and allowed Hopper to lead the way.

* * *

 

The door to the archive room slid open, revealing a modern-looking space. The only item populating the area was a large computer at an unused desk.

“Not really what I was imagining.” Hopper muttered as he began to enter.

Billy pressed an authoritative hand against Hopper’s chest. “I can take it from here actually.”

He could see the older security guard stare down at Billy’s hand. The man’s jaw tightened, and for a moment Billy thought Hopper might actually push past him.

“Sure kid. Whatever. I’ll be back in thirty.”  

The older man disappeared back down the hall.

Billy redirected his attention towards the computer. It appeared to have been rarely used, if at all.

“Here we go,” he whispered to himself and powered the machine up. The desk was immaculate, and Billy felt as if he was leaving smudges on everything he touched.

The desktop revealed very little. In fact, the only thing the computer seemed to contain were two separate folders: “Records” and “Interviews.”

Billy selected the Interviews folder first. Multiple files appeared on screen, each labeled with the now-familiar names of the omegas upstairs.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Billy opened Steve’s folder.

The videos were organized by date, so it only made sense for Billy to start with the earliest.

April 24th, 2012 

As the recording flashed to life, Billy was met with the image of Steve sitting on an overstuffed couch. He was younger, more innocent looking. Dressed in a well-fitting dark suit that must have been intended to make him appear older, Billy was struck by how much unbridled life was kindled in those eyes. Eyes that had been dimmed over the span of just a few years.

Brenner’s voice sounded from somewhere behind the camera.

“How are you feeling Steve?”

Steve tugged on the metal collar around his neck. “Is this supposed to be so tight?”

“You’ll get used to it.” Brenner assured him. “Do you know why you’re here?”

Dark eyes darted around the room. “My parents…”

“They sent you to work with us for a while. I just need you to sign some of the final paperwork.”

A disembodied hand came into frame and handed Steve a thick stack of paper. The omega flipped nervously through the multiple sheets before glancing back up at the camera.

“This is just for legal purposes, don’t worry. Brenner Relations is a very professional and discrete company. We’re doing this for your safety as much as for our clients.”

Steve’s eyes flinched back to the paperwork at the word _clients_. “This contract is just for five years?”

“Yes. And a percentage of your earnings will be routed to a bank account for when your contract is up. You can also allow the account to be accessed by other people during your stay here. Many of our omegas choose their family.”

Steve looked up again, an odd mix of determination and anxiety reflected in his eyes. “I can choose anyone?”

“Of course. Just list their name and address and we will take care of the rest.”

Steve hesitated only a moment longer before filling out the paperwork and signing five years of his life away. It was impossible to see what he wrote from the video, but his posture seemed to visibly relax after he handed the paperwork back. Or perhaps it was resignation.

Billy could hear more than see Brenner smiling in the video.

“Now that’s over, we’ll be escorting you up to your new quarters. You’ll be receiving a physical at our medical wing on a weekly basis, and these little chats will be bi-annual.”

Steve held up a hand, almost as if he were still in school and wanted to ask the teacher a question. “Can I say goodbye to my friends before we-”

“Oh, unfortunately Steve you won’t be able to see anyone from the outside world until your contract is up. You really should have done that before you arrived.”

Steve moved forward, like he was about to rise from his seat. “But I didn’t know my parents were-”

The sound of a door opening interrupted the rest of Steve’s protest.

Brenner spoke again. “Ah, perfect timing. Steve, I want you to meet Frank, my head of security. He’s going to be in charge of your well-being for the foreseeable future.”

Steve slowly shrank back in his seat. His eyes fixed on the alpha that had just entered the room. From somewhere behind the camera, a familiar voice spoke. “Nice to meet you Steve. I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

Then the screen went blank.

The next video’s date read January 24th, 2013.

Steve appeared on screen again, this time in similar clothes to the ones that Billy had grown accustomed to him wearing.

It was almost frightening to see the physical change in Steve within just the 6 months between videos. His face seemed to have more sharp edges, and his eyes seemed distant and disconnected to his present circumstances.

Brenner’s voice was heard somewhere behind the camera again. “How are you doing Steve?”

The brunette didn’t respond.

“You’ve been very popular with our clients. But Frank’s reported you’ve been more withdrawn in recent visits. Are you unhappy here?”

Steve snorted in response but refused to look at the camera.

“Now Steve, I don’t want to have to do this, but we do have punishments set in place when we fear an omega might harm the image of the company. Other omegas have been very responsive to solitary confinement in the past…”

Steve’s eyes snapped up then, fear clearly visible in his eyes.

For an omega, being isolated from any human contact for an extended period was both physically and emotionally damaging. Since so much of their chemical makeup was closely connected to their empathy, touch and affection was almost as necessary as breathing for omegas.

Billy remembered how his mother began to wilt and wane away after Neil began to distance himself. The thought that Brenner was threatening the omegas with the same treatment ignited an angry fire deep in Billy’s chest.

Brenner’s voice emerged from the video again. “Now, I don’t want to have to do that. You’re making us a lot of money Steve, and I’d hate to see your kind of talent go to waste. So how about I give you until our next session, and we’ll see how you’re doing then?”

Billy clicked to the next video, the heat in the pit of his stomach propelling him deeper and deeper into the archives.

August 24th, 2013. 

Steve sat on the couch, his legs crossed confidently, arms spread out behind him, and a smile planted firmly on his face.

“Do you know what day it is Steve?”

The omega’s eyes flashed in surprise for the briefest of moments. “It’s my…”

“It’s your one-year anniversary since joining this company, and I must say,” Brenner stated from his usual position behind the camera, “you’ve greatly improved since last we spoke.”

Steve nodded slowly before he cocked his head and looked into the camera. “I think I’ve finally begun to settle in. Sorry it took so long.”

“There’s no need to apologize. Tell me Steve, what do you think of your clients.”

The omega lowered his head for a moment before looking towards Brenner through his dark lashes. “Some of them can be a challenge, but other have been… fun.”

Billy felt like he was watching some kind of ad for an adult film. And in all actuality, he was. Steve was telling Brenner exactly what he thought the man wanted to hear, convincing him that he was enjoying himself to avoid being punished. It was all an act, and both Steve and Brenner knew that.

“Tell me Steve, what do you think of Frank?”

Steve’s smile faltered for a moment as his eyes flicked towards a space behind the camera where Frank must have been standing. “He’s fine. He does his job and keeps us safe.”

“Do you think he enjoys his job?”

Steve’s eyes were focused on the camera again. “Yes.”

“Do you enjoy having Frank around, when you’re with your clients?”

The omega’s fingers curled together in a now familiar gesture as Billy watched Steve’s jaw tighten slightly. “Yes.”

Billy could hear Brenner shift in his seat behind the camera. “Would you ever consider entering in a relationship with Frank or any members of this company’s staff?”

Steve blinked at Brenner before a cheeky smile spread across his face. “That depends… Is he paying?”

Steve’s eyes dragged up and down where Frank was standing behind the camera before snapping back to Brenner in mock-realization. “Oh, but wait… that’s against company policy.” The omega pouted.

It reminded Billy of those old Marilyn Monroe films that used to play on TV when he was little. He absently wondered if that was where Steve picked up the mannerism as well. Everything the brunette did seemed calculated. Teasing, enticing, but not enough to suggest that he’d like things to escalate any further.

Brenner laughed. “This is why your clients keep coming back. You toy with them, intrigue them, make them feel special.”

“And here I thought they were just paying for a good fuck.” Steve smiled wryly. Any coy or teasing tones completely gone.

Brenner chuckled darkly behind the camera. “You never fail to surprise me, Steve.”

The video went dark again, leaving Billy to stare at his own reflection in the black screen.

Now he was beginning to understand what Frank was talking about.

It seemed so easy for Steve to flick a switch and become whatever someone wanted him to be. Granted, he was doing it to survive, but he’d been playing this game for roughly four years now. It wasn’t too far-fetched to think that perhaps Steve had forgotten how to turn that switch back off.

Maybe it had all been an act. Maybe even Steve didn’t remember what or who he really wanted anymore.

January 24th, 2014 

There was something different about Steve in this video. His posture was more closed off, but his eyes resolutely held the camera’s gaze.

“Are you alright Steve? You seem tense today.”

His dark eyes glared towards Brenner. “Why is Carol here?”

“She’s here to work. Same as you. I had honestly thought you’d be happy to see her.”

“She doesn’t belong here,” Steve snapped. “She shouldn’t have to be here.” He added a little more softly.

“You know first-hand that we take good care of all the omegas we employ. She’s in good hands.” Brenner’s voice sounded as convincing and comforting as a serpent to a coiled mouse.

“But what about the clients…” Steve began.

“The clients are part of the job Steve. She’s not staying here for free.”

Steve wrapped his arms around himself in a hollow attempt for comfort. The video remained silent for a moment until Brenner shifted behind the camera.

“Oh, you mean _those_ clients. Well, perhaps we can come to some kind of deal.”

Steve’s head darted upwards again. A mix of hope and suspicion glimmered within his eyes. “What kind of deal?”

“Another year added to your contract, and you have to take the more… _enthusiastic_ clients that request Carol.”

Steve stared at Brenner’s outstretched hand cautiously. “One year, and I handle all of the tougher clients for everyone upstairs.”

You could tell just from the sound of his voice that Brenner was smiling again. “Agreed.”

Billy’s stomach twisted at how quick Steve was to shake Brenner’s outstretched hand.

Six years. Six years in a company where violence was guaranteed. It was a wonder that Steve hadn’t completely shut down after even two years.

But then again, he wasn’t just working for his own safety anymore. He was fighting for the other omegas as well.

Billy skipped forward to the most recent recording.

January 24th, 2018 

He could tell from the bruises along Steve’s neck and collarbone that this was shortly after Billy had joined the company. He’d recognized those marks from when he first met the omega.

Steve was yet again stretched comfortably across the couch, a confident smile planted across his face.

“How are you doing Steve?”

“I’m alright, a little sore but I should probably be used to that by now.”

He and Brenner shared a brief laugh together, as if Steve’s physical injuries were something to be made light of.

Billy didn’t like how easy that laugh came to the omega.

Brenner’s voice brought the conversation back around. “I wanted to ask you about our new security guard.”

“You mean Billy?”

“Yes, what do you think of him?”

Billy found himself leaning forward at the same time that Steve leaned back in the video and looked up at the ceiling as if in thought. “He’s alright.”

“Just alright?”

“He’s young for a security guard.” Steve shrugged in answer.

“Yes, he’s about your age. Does it bother you that he can come and go as he pleases, while you’re stuck here?”

Steve’s eyes drifted back to Brenner’s, sensing that something was off. “It’s not his fault that I can’t leave.”

“No, you’re right. That’s your fault- “

“-my parents’ fault- “

“-nevertheless, it is Billy’s job to _keep_ you here. Do you resent him for that?”

Steve’s eyes looked beyond Brenner and the camera again, to a space in the corner of the room. “I don’t resent Frank. Why would I resent Billy?”

He must be looking at Frank again, Billy thought.

Brenner smacked his lips. “That is an interesting comparison. Tell me Steve, if you had to choose between the two, what would be your answer?”

Steve’s jaw clenched ever so slightly. “Frank.”

“And what if you had to choose one to fuck y- “

“-I’d choose Frank.” Steve stated with no emotion whatsoever, never breaking eye contact with Brenner.

The video was filled a tense silence until Brenner eventually spoke. “Good. We wouldn’t want your loyalties swaying just because another pretty face has entered the picture.”

Then the screen went black, and Billy was left with his thoughts.

Steve had been lying, but at this point it was hard to decide _who_ he was lying too _._

Did Frank want Billy to see these videos to dissuade him from pursuing Steve? Or to make him feel jealous of the other alpha?

Billy didn’t trust Frank.

But with this evidence it was difficult to trust Steve either. He was kind and protective of Carol, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t lying to Billy.

Billy ran a hand through his hair in frustration. If Frank was trying to plant seeds of doubt between Billy and Steve, then he was succeeding.

The Records folder caught Billy’s eye as he moved the cursor towards its icon. The contents were organized similarly to the Interviews files.

Billy couldn’t decide if he was more confident or nervous as he selected Steve’s folder.

There was only one document. It reminded Billy of the legal records that he’d often find when doing background checks for his previous employers.

A photo of Steve was displayed that must have been taken on his first day, when he still looked young and innocent.

Other than that, most of it was public records: his parents contact information, previous address, date of birth…

Billy’s eyes focused on Steve’s birth date, almost not believing what he was seeing. August 24th, 1994.

August 24th.

The same day as Steve’s first interview at Brenner Relations.

His parents sold him on his 18th birthday.

Billy wanted to throw up. What kind of monsters would get rid of their son the minute he was of legal age?

Monsters. Monsters who didn’t love their child. There was no other answer.

Billy forced himself to continue to scroll through the file, trying to distract himself from that new information.

Another address caught his eye. The one that Steve had listed to have access to his earnings while at Brenner Relations.

_415 Maple St._

It wasn’t the same address as Steve’s parents, and Billy didn’t judge him for that at all. But that must mean whoever lived at that address had to be someone Steve trusted…

Before Billy could change his mind, he’d scrawled the address on his inner arm. He’d transfer it to his phone later.

The last page of Steve’s file listed his signature and final release date, which had been amended to reflect the deal Steve had made with Brenner.

_To be released: August 24th, 2019._

_To be released to: LBF_

Billy blinked at the screen. Was LBF someone's initials?  

But if so, then why did it sound familiar?

On a hunch, Billy exited Steve’s folder and scrolled through the other names in the Records file. A file titled LBF was at the very bottom. Billy must have seen it out of the corner of his eye earlier.

There were other sub-folders, and Billy felt a splinter of dread dig itself into his heart as he read the titles: Benjamin, Stacey, The Twins…

_“Just like Stacey came back?”_

Steve’s words echoed in Billy’s head as he forced himself to click on The Twins’ folder. It contained a single document, but its contents were enough to make Billy’s stomach begin to churn all over again.

It was a formal letter from a company called Lutsk Breeding Farm (LBF), thanking Brenner for his business, and informing him that his funds will be transferred within the next 24 hours.

But it was the pictures that tore the air from Billy’s lungs.

Photos of the twins, Billy couldn’t tell them apart, were attached to the letter. They were chained to a filthy mattress in a cinder-block room. Their eyes were hollow, mouths open in a desperate plea for help, forever frozen in time by an uncaring photographer.

Image after image flashed before Billy’s eyes, depicting the horrific lives that these two omegas had been condemned to.

Billy had met the twins, ever-so-briefly on his first day. The same day the Brenner must have sold them.

The same way he was planning to sell Steve.

Billy leaned over and threw up in the empty wastebasket next to the desk. He was still trembling after he had finished emptying his stomach.

The room stank of acidic bile and cold sweat, making Billy feel even more nauseous. He could feel his senses shutting down, overwhelmed at what he had seen and learned in less than an hour.

He must have been in a serious state of shock, because Billy didn’t hear or smell Hopper coming back until the man’s voice echoed around the empty space.

“What the hell is this?” He demanded, voice deep with anger.

Billy’s eyes snapped up and followed Hopper’s gaze to the computer screen where the photographs were still on display.

“I... I can explain,” Billy began. But in all actuality, he wasn’t sure he could.

And as it turns out Hopper wasn’t interested in anyone explaining anything.

The larger alpha was across the room in just a few strides and had gripped Billy’s jacket so hard his head snapped back as Hopper yanked him from the chair.

“Cut the bullshit. What did you do to Steve?”

 _This guy knew Steve?_ Billy grasped at Hopper’s iron-grip, his legs kicked out at air beneath him. “I’m- I’m just a bodyguard.”

That answer didn’t seem to satisfy the other man, because Hopper slammed him against the nearest wall and growled.

“I don’t care what you are. Are you hurting those kids?”

Billy saw stars. Hopper had the advantage of taking him by surprise, but as that faded away, all Billy felt was rage.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been slammed against a wall by someone bigger than him.

Neil had made that an all too familiar experience.

As the surprise and nausea faded away, Billy felt his full strength and focus returning.

“I never touched them!” Billy snapped and kicked out, catching Hopper in the stomach and forcing the air from his lungs.

Now it was Hopper’s turn to be caught unaware. He gasped and released the other man.

Billy landed on his feet, all the anger boiling to the surface, looking for an outlet, whether the recipient deserved it or not.

He pushed back at Hopper, standing on his toes and stretching his neck in an attempt to level out the height difference. But it wasn’t the size of the dog that mattered. You just had to be the one with the better bite.

That was the only advice from Neil that Billy had listened to.

“I just found out about this, same as you.” Billy snarled, watching Hopper, almost begging for the man to take a swing.

“Like I’d believe anything you’d say.” Hopper growled, still sounding somewhat winded.

_“We’re trying to figure out how to get you and Carol out of here.”_

Tommy’s words rang in Billy’s ears as he took in the alpha before him, puzzle pieces beginning to slide into place. All those questions, all those calculated stares…

“I know you and a few others are trying to get Steve out of this hellhole.”

Hopper’s dark heavy eyes snapped to attention. “How do you- “

“Tommy visited Steve.”

Hopper growled again, except this time not at Billy. “That stupid son of a…”

He looked up at Billy again, suspicion written across his brow. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Billy had been asking himself that same question all week.

“Because it was the right thing to do? Because I want to help.”

_Because I think I’m falling for Steve and don’t know what to do…_

The room fell silent. Hopper, clearly trying to decide if he could trust or believe Billy.

“Shit,” he finally sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I don’t think either of us have a choice now.”

As Hopper walked over to the computer Billy let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had no doubt that he could hold his own in a fight against the other alpha, but Billy wouldn’t walk away unscathed either.

“This…” Hopper swallowed as he got a closer look at the photos of the twins, “is this what’s happening to the omegas upstairs?”

“No.” Billy stood next to Hopper, forcing himself to look at the horrific images on the computer again. “They sleep with the clients, but all of them are wearing collars that keep them from going into heat.”

“This,” Billy gestured to the screen. “I think Brenner’s been selling some of the omegas to this place once their contracts are done.”

Hopper ran a hand over his beard. He was trying to control it, but Billy could tell the man was angry.

Billy was angry too.

“I’m going to need copies of these files.” Hopper said while inserting a flash drive into the computer.

“What can I do?” Billy asked. He’d been pondering that question ever since he took this job. He just hadn’t said it out loud until now.

Hopper glanced over at Billy, as if determining how useful he might be. It reminded Billy of Neil, and the way his father seemed to always look at him like he was measuring his worth.

“We’ve figured almost everything out on our own. I have a car in the garage downstairs, we have a place to take Steve, and a safe house far away where he can stay until things calm down.

Hopper pointed to his neck. “What we’ve been stuck on is the collar. It’s not sold or used commercially, so there’s no way for us to know how it works.”

Billy swallowed. He could tell where this was headed. “You need me to get you a collar.”

Hopper nodded at the same time that Billy shook his head.

“The only collars I’ve seen are the ones that the omegas wear. It’s not like they keep extras in a box somewhere!”

“We’ve been stumped on that for a year now. You’ll figure something out.”

Billy sighed and watched as Hopper finished downloading files.

“Wait…” Billy started, “you said you were getting Steve out, what about the other omegas?”

Hopper looked over his shoulder. “Right now, Steve and Carol are our main priorities. Trust me I’d rather save them all, but it’s helluva lot harder to sneak a group of people out of a highly monitored building than just one or two. If you have any suggestions I’m all ears.”

Billy opened his mouth then shut it again. The look in Hopper’s eyes spoke of many sleepless nights spent trying to solve that exact same problem.

“The security will get worse once Steve and Carol escape.” Billy finally said.

“That’s true.” Hopper nodded and held up the flash drive. “But now that we have this, we can start leaking all of Brenner’s dirty secrets. This company won’t be open for much longer.”

Billy looked from the flash drive then back to Hopper. The idea of Brenner being brought to justice was a happy thought.

But now Steve’s safely hinged entirely on Billy.

And they were running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had such a hard time writing this chapter because I just wanted to jump back into the action, but this was necessary to help develop the story a little more, and now that it's done I'm kind of happy with how it turned out!  
> Please let me know what you thought in the comments! It's so much help and makes me feel happy to know that there are people enjoying this story! <3


	6. When The Collar Comes Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a client is too rough with Steve, Billy must rely on the help of an unknown nurse to make things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is hitting the fan in this chapter y'all!!!  
> Thank you for your patience! Please let me know what you think!

 “Gin!” Carol cheered and slapped her cards down on the kitchen table.

“Dammit.” Tonya groaned and crossed her arms. “I thought you promised not to cheat.”

“It’s not cheating if you can’t prove it.” Carol smiled and elbowed Nick before glancing over at where Billy was sitting across the room. “Billy why don’t you join us?”

Beth poked at Carol’s arm in protest.

Billy looked away from the elevator and blinked before shaking his head. “I’m fine, thanks.”

Tonya leaned past Nick and Claire so she could look at him. “You know they’re not going to come back any sooner with you staring like that, right?”

“Shut up, he’s just worried.” Carol frowned at the other omega before turning back to Billy. “But distracting yourself _will_ help the time go by faster.”

Billy sighed. Steve had been assigned an overnight stay with a client, and he and Frank should have been back by now. He switched on his phone and signed when there were no new messages.

Billy still wasn’t sure how he was going to get his hands on a collar without Brenner or Frank finding out.

He couldn’t just ask for one, and even if Steve or Carol wanted to help it’s not like they knew how to get theirs off.

Billy was considering the odds of Brenner keeping a spare in his office when the elevator whirred to life.

He shot to attention and kept his eyes on the doors. Carol quietly joined him, keeping a safe distance between the two of them and watching the numbers above the elevator like a hawk.

But the doors never opened.

“It stopped.” Carol’s voice broke the silence. The remaining omegas had stopped playing cards now.

The room felt frozen in place as Carol looked at the glowing number above the door. “They stopped at the floor below us.”

“But that’s the- “

“The medical wing.” Billy finished Nick’s sentence and pressed his thumb against the elevator button.

Something had gone wrong. Something had happened to Steve.

The doors slid open far too slow for Billy as he bolted into the small elevator. Carol had tried to follow but he held up a hand. “You can’t come.”

“But Steve!” She glared at him.

“Frank won’t want any other omegas down there and you know it.”

Eventually Carol’s shoulders fell. “Just let me know if he’s okay.”

Billy nodded solemnly and smashed the button for the medical wing as the doors closed.

The ride down could only have taken a few seconds, but to Billy it felt like an eternity.

Once the elevator opened, Billy was hit with the bittersweet smell of lavender and the sound of Steve’s screams.

His legs moved faster than Billy’s mind could process.

Frank was standing in the way of Billy’s view of Steve, but as he got closer he could see that the omega was writhing in pain.

“What happened?” Billy practically growled.

Frank whipped his head around and glared back. “Where the hell is the nurse?”

“How the hell should I know?” Billy stepped around Frank. “What the hell hap- “

The rest of his question was cut short when he caught sight of the omega on the bed.

Steve’s eyes were squeezed shut with tears leaking down the sides of his face.

There wasn’t a single area of his neck that wasn’t marred in some way. Bite marks littered and broke his skin in multiple areas, and it looked as if someone had tried to tear the collar off his neck. The paneling on one side was completely missing.

“The client jumped him when we were leaving…” Frank offered.

Billy’s eyes were fixated on the bite marks that were closest to the collar. “Did he…?”

 _Did he bond with him?_ The question remained lodged in Billy’s throat, afraid of the answer he’d receive.

“No. No I was able to get Steve out of there before he could bond with him.” Frank reached out and ran a comforting hand across Steve’s forehead and through his hair.

The omega wined in response, and Billy had to fight the urge to lash out possessively. He desperately wanted to be the one comforting Steve, but right now they had more important things to worry about. Like the sparks that occasionally sparked from the damaged collar.

“Isn’t that hurting him?” Billy couldn’t help the desperate tone of his voice. He didn’t want Steve to be in pain. Billy didn’t want him to ever feel hurt again.

Frank flinched as Steve cried out when another electric surge spit out of the collar. “I need a nurse to make sure he’ll be alright if we take it off.”

“Then where’s the…” Billy looked around as the infirmary doors opened.

A short dark-haired woman in blue nurse scrubs ran over to the bed. She barely gave the alphas a second look before focusing on Steve. “What happened?”

“Who the hell are you?” Frank squinted his eyes at the nurse. “And where the hell is the usual nurse?”

The woman didn’t take her eyes off Steve as she checked his pulse-rate and reached for a bowl of water and a sponge next to the bed. “I’m Joyce. Helen quit last week and I’m her replacement.”

Steve’s eyes snapped open when Joyce spoke. His hand reached out and gripped her wrist when she began to gently dab at the bitemarks along his neck. “Joyce?”

“Yeah, that’s my name sweetie. Can you tell me yours?” Joyce’s brow was furrowed together, as if Steve’s injuries caused her pain.

“His name is Steve.” Billy found himself answering.

Joyce glanced at Billy, gratitude flashed in her eyes before she looked back down on the omega in the bed. “Steve, everything’s going to be alright.”

Steve looked up at Joyce with pitiful eyes. There was something more though, something Billy could have sworn looked like desperation. Like he didn’t want Joyce to be there.

Steve screamed as more sparks erupted from the collar.

“Why haven’t you taken this off?” Joyce glared at the two alphas.

Frank held up his hands defensively. “I wanted to wait until you-”

“Can’t you see he’s in pain?” Joyce was a good foot shorter than Frank, but that didn’t seem to have any effect on her ability to command the room. “Take it off right now!”

Frank made quick work of leaning over Steve and removing the collar. Unfortunately it was too fast for Billy to be able to catch the code. Almost all his attentions was directed towards how Steve visibly relaxed when the collar was slipped off his neck.

It was like all the stress left his body as Steve’s eyes fluttered closed with relief. Billy would have smiled, had the sight of Steve’s neck not caused all the blood to rush from his face.

There was a clear ring of untouched flesh where the collar used to be. But the skin surrounding that area was red from the scratches and bite marks.

It reminded Billy of the dust that settled over the small angel statue on his mother’s bedside table. He had a clear memory of lifting the statuette as a child and marveling at the clean surface hidden beneath.

Except this time Billy couldn’t just wipe the dust off and make everything better. Steve was hurt, and right now all Billy could do was watch.

With the collar gone, Joyce made quick work of cleaning the wounds along Steve’s neck. All his whimpers and cries of pain were answered by Joyce with comforting sounds of reassurance and apology.

These weren’t the trained movements of a nurse. Joyce’s fragile tenderness spoke of sleepless nights soothing a child’s fever, kisses on scraped knees, and safe hugs during thunderstorms. These were the actions of a mother.

Billy observed Joyce a little closer now. She was nothing if not tender towards Steve. Even when she applied disinfectant and cleaned the deeper wounds, her eyes remained soft.

She could have easily been mistaken for Steve’s mother with her dark hair and equally deep brown eyes. But Billy knew that couldn’t be the case. From the brief encounter he’s has with Joyce, Billy knew she couldn’t have been the cold and uncaring person that sold her own son to Brenner Relations.

No. Not Steve’s mother, but someone who cared for him like a mother.

“Will he be alright?” Even to Billy, his voice sounded small.

Joyce had nearly finished cleaning Steve’s wounds when she turned to him and Frank. “It’s hard to stay. I’d like to keep him here for now if that’s alright.”

Frank nodded and hesitantly turned his eyes away from Steve. “I need to tell Brenner what happened.”

He turned towards Billy. “Stay here until I get back. Call me if anything happens.”

Billy didn’t need to be convinced. In fact, Frank would have been hard-pressed to make him _leave_.

As Frank moved towards the elevator, Billy could sense how hesitant the other alpha was to leave himself. He kept looking back, his eyes catching on Steve’s exposed neck and kindling a possessive heat in the pit of Billy’s stomach.

After Frank disappeared behind the elevator doors, the only sound in the medical wing was Steve’s labored breathing. His neck was almost entirely wrapped in bandages and eyes were closed. It took Billy a moment to realize that the omega was asleep.

Joyce busied herself by cleaning and putting away the sponge and bandages. The room smelled so much like blood it almost made Billy nauseous. But beneath that he could catch the faintest hint of lavender, the same aroma that he’d been struck by when he first entered the infirmary.

_Was that Steve?_

Billy closed his eyes and took in a slow deep breath, focusing on that smell. It was intoxicating, but also somehow wrong. There was a bitterness on the end of the scent that confused Billy. He took an unconscious step closer to the hospital bed when he caught hint of another scent. It smelled like warm sugar and cinnamon.

Billy opened his eyes and followed the scent straight to Joyce. _Another omega_.

He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and approached Steve’s bed instead. Even in sleep his brow was furrowed with stress. One of his hands rested under his chin, like a child. His nimble fingers ghosted against his own neck where the collar used to…

_The collar!_

Billy whipped his head around and quickly scanned the room. Frank didn’t leave with it so it must still be here.

He spotted the collar on one of the other hospital beds. It was damaged, but maybe Hopper could still use it.

Joyce’s back was still turned. This was his chance.

Billy had just grasped the singed collar when Joyce spoke up. “Oh, I can get rid of that for you.”

She held out her hand expectantly.

“No, you’re fine. Brenner will probably want me to bring this up to him anyway.” Billy smiled, willing her to back down.

“No, I insist.” Joyce’s smile took on more of an edge as she gripped the other side of the collar.

They were at a standoff. Neither willing to submit to the other.

Billy had a good feeling that they were on the same side here, but there was no way of knowing for sure. And even if he was right, it wasn’t likely that Joyce would just take his word for it either. No, Billy had to follow this through on his own. “All due respect ma’am, but it’s not your job to handle the security of the omegas employed at-”

“Security?” Joyce scoffed. “Sure, you get to decide who hurts these kids and when. It’s just my job to try and put them back together once their _clients_ are d-”

“Joyce…” Steve’s weak voice halted the rising tension.

Both Billy and Joyce turned their attention towards the omega sitting up in his bed, immediately united in their desire to keep Steve safe.

“Joyce, I feel… funny.” Steve slowly fell back against the bed.

“Steve? Honey what’s wrong?” Joyce pressed a hand against Steve’s forehead. “What are you feeling?”

“Feel…” Steve’s eyes slowly blinked open and closed over and over again. “...Warm.”

He reached up and tugged on the neckline of his shirt. “-doesn’t feel good.”

Joyce froze and stared in horror at Billy. “...oh shit.”

“What?” Billy asked as Joyce lifted one of Steve’s eyelids with her thumb and flashed a penlight across his pupil. “What’s oh shit?”

“Umm.” Joyce’s voice seemed to rise in panic as she checked Steve’s other eye.

Billy clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling utterly helpless. “Should we be worried?”

“Maybe...” Joyce said as she leaned over and pressed her ear against Steve’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Shit!”

“What? What is it?” Billy pleaded for an answer.

Joyce took a step back, one of her hands pressed against her mouth in worry.

“Joyce,” Billy slowly approached the nurse and rested his hands on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Her dark eyes stared up into his. Billy watched the panic begin to subside from Joyce’s eyes as she swallowed down a lump in her throat.

“He’s going into heat.”

Billy’s mouth hung open. “Oh shit.”

Joyce shook her head, biting her lip. “We have to move him to the isolation unit.”

“Isolation?” Billy murmured as he watched Joyce move around Steve’s bed, unlocking the wheels and trying to push it on her own.

“It’s for his own safely.” The hospital bed wasn’t moving. Joyce looked up at Billy. “Help me!”

Billy jumped into action and quickly grabbed one of the sides of the bed to push. Steve remained writhing on the bed, tearing his clothes and the bandages around his neck.

“No sweetie, you have to leave those alone.” Joyce pleaded and tried to hold Steve’s hand, but he merely whined in response.

“They hurt.” He pleaded.

Billy helplessly looked from Steve to Joyce. “Is he alright?”

Joyce sighed. “It’s part of his heat cycle. Omegas become more sensitive to everything around them.”

“Billy?” Steve blindly reached out. “Billy...”

“I’m here.” Billy leaned closer to the omega and briefly brown eyes met blue.

Steve’s hand fell in exhaustion. “Trust... Billy.” He sighed before scrunching up his face and curling in on himself.

* * *

 

The isolation unit was a lot better than Billy had expected. It was a well-lit room with a comfortable bed in the corner. The only entrance and exit was through a glass wall that allowed the occupant to be observed by the medical staff.

Steve was dressed in a soft hospital gown and remained non-verbal as he curled and uncurled himself on the bed, occasionally groaning in what Billy assumed was pain.

He felt utterly useless as he watched with Joyce from the other side of the glass.

Eventually Joyce spoke. “You’re Billy?”

Billy turned away from the glass and nodded at the shorter woman. Joyce smiled in response and nodded back. “You’ve met my husband.”

“I hav...?” Billy blinked in confusion as Joyce pointed downwards. “Wait, Hopper?”

Joyce grinned and nodded.

“But…” Billy stared in utter disbelief, “But he’s so much taller than you.”

Joyce’s laughter seemed to surprise both of them. It crumbled the remainder of the wall between the two and instead settled them into a comfortable silence.

“So how did you end up here then?” Billy gestured to the Joyce’s scrubs.

Joyce tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “When Steve was first... sent here, he made sure I had access to the money he earned.”

Billy nodded in realization. “You’re 415 Maple St.”  

“That’s right.” A sad smile spread across her face. “At first I didn’t want to touch it, to do anything with it. But then Jim—Hopper— convinced me… Steve wouldn’t have wanted the money to go wasted when it could do some good.”

Joyce covered her mouth with her hand as she shook her head, lost in memory. “I ended up using some of the money Steve sent to help put me through med school. I focused on omega biology, tried to learn as much as possible so maybe I could help if…” She gestured to Steve’s writhing form.

Billy didn’t know what to say. He had no idea what he would have done had he been in Joyce’s position.

Using Steve’s money must have seemed wrong, like you were benefiting from a life he didn’t ask for. But not using it, when Steve gave it to her for a reason, would have felt as equally wasteful.

“I’m sure it’s what he wanted.” Billy offered lamely.

Joyce smiled and looked away. She had opened her mouth to say something in response, when the elevator doors dinged open.

“What the-“ they both whipped their heads around at the sound of Frank’s voice. The man emerges a minute later with a new collar in hand, his eyes wide and hungry.

He looked from Billy and Joyce to the isolation unit. “What’s that… is that?”

Billy could practically hear him salivating as his eyes focused on Steve. “He went into heat.”

Joyce bit her lip and stepped into Frank’s view. “Yes, a few minutes ago.”

“Why?” Frank continued to look past Joyce.

“Well when we removed his collar it might have- “

“None of our past omegas went into heat after their collars came off. Why Steve?” Frank wasn’t in the mood to be lied to.

Billy unconsciously took a step closer to Joyce, giving her some semblance of support as she shook her head. “There could be a number of reasons wh- “

“Why?” Frank pushed.

Joyce sighed defeatedly.

“Most likely he encountered an alpha that he wanted to bond with while the collar was on. Once it was removed… it’s like his omega side is making up for lost time.”

Frank snorted. “Hate to break it to you sweetie, but Steve’s met quite a few alphas during his time here.”

Joyce looked like she wanted to rip Frank’s head off. Billy could see it in the way her mouth opened in shock and then snapped shut, and the way her eyes bore into the side of Frank’s face. But she didn’t. Because that would only make things worse.

Joyce closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. “It wouldn’t have been just one encounter. The alpha was probably someone that Steve’s seen on more than one occasion.”

Frank looked from Steve to Joyce. The wheels turning in the back of his mind. “Well that does narrow it down a little. He’s had a few repeat customers...”

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Billy’s attention. Steve was shifting around in the bed again. “Joyce?”

But Joyce was too busy talking to Frank to notice him. She rubbed her forehead. “You don’t understand...”

“Joyce!”

Both Frank and Joyce turned to Billy and followed his gaze towards the glass wall.

Steve was standing in the center of the room, staring at the three of them through hooded eyes. His chest and shoulders were rising and falling from labored breathing.

Steve’s eyes kept traveling between the two alphas, and that’s when it hit Billy. _It was them. Steve wanted to bond with one of them._

Frank seemed to have caught on as well. He took a few steps away from Billy, watching as Steve’s gaze followed him.

The mood in the isolation unit was tense. Everyone was frozen in place, waiting to see what would happen next. Billy could feel the heat and smell the anticipation radiating off Frank. He smelled like tar.

Steve took an unsteady step forward, his legs wobbled beneath him.

Billy held his breath, watching as Steve inhaled sharply and looked between the two.

Steve took another step, then another, and another. Until he stood directly in front of Billy.

The younger alpha could feel Frank’s glare on him as Billy let out the breath he’d been holding. The perspiration fogged up the glass wall, the only thing standing between him and Steve.

It was hard to see at first, but from this distance Billy realized just how dilated Steve’s pupils were. They were blown-out with need. _Want._

“Billy.” Steve whispered as he pressed his hands against the clear wall, turning his head to the side so his neck was pressed up against the small ventilation holes in the glass. His scent filled the space. Lavender and something sweeter that Billy couldn’t quite place.

“ _Billy_.” Steve begged, his hands balling into fists.

Billy felt his heart leap in his chest. Steve chose him. Steve _wanted_ him.

“I need to get him stabilized.” Joyce’s voice dragged Billy back to reality.

He first looked to her shaky eyes then chanced a glance at Frank. The head of security’s face was almost unreadable. Almost. It was like looking at the thin layer of rock that was seconds away from melting and revealing the boiling lava underneath.

Frank’s eyes bore into Billy’s with rage and envy. He turned his focus towards Joyce. “What do you need.”

“We need to put a collar on him.” It looked as if those words caused her physical pain.

Frank scoffed. “Honey we are well past the point of keeping that kid from going into heat.”

“It won’t stop anything, but it will regulate it. Calm Steve down, make him more lucid.” Joyce gestured to where Steve was still watching Billy. “It will make his heat easier on him.”

Billy looked down at his feet. He understood what Joyce was saying. That a collar will help make Steve’s heat easier on him _on his own_.

He didn’t know why that hurt. Deep down Billy knew bonding with Steve wasn’t an option. Brenner and Frank would never let that happen.

Frank nodded and stepped towards the glass with the collar he’d arrived with. Joyce stepped in the way before he reached the door. “Get out of the way.”

Joyce shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for either of you to get close to Steve until his heat cycle is finished.”

Billy had to hand it to her, she had balls. Frank wasn’t the kind of person you’d make a habit of defying. He could see the anger simmering behind Frank’s cold eyes briefly before the larger man sighed and handed Joyce the collar.

Joyce turned towards the entrance to Steve’s room. “The door has a safety measure built in.”

She pressed the ‘unlock’ button and both Billy and Frank’s phones buzzed with an alert. “Whenever someone enters the room, security is alerted.”

Billy pulled out his phone and watched as his screen displayed the security feed of the isolation unit. The feed was slightly distorted, but he could still identify Joyce as she entered Steve’s room.

Once the door was open Steve tried to move past Joyce to get closer to Billy. But all it took was for her to place a comforting yet authoritative hand on Steve’s chest to still him.

His big brown eyes met hers and he let out a small wine.

“I know,” Joyce whispered, running a hand along his cheek before settling it on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

With the precision and slide of hand that nurses develop while administering shots, Joyce slid the new collar around Steve’s neck and snapped it shut.

Steve gasped in surprise and clawed at the contraption as Joyce guided him back towards the bed. Nothing had changed immediately, but by the time Steve was lying down on the bed his breathing had evened out. The smell of Steve’s lavender scent faded, but never quite went away.

Joyce quickly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she exited the cell. “His heat cycle will last a week or so. I need someone to get me some clothes and supplies.”

“Why exactly?” Frank watched Joyce with an incredulous expression.

She turned on him, her patience had turned razor thin. “Because, I need to stay here and make sure nothing _else_ goes wrong.”

She was toe to toe with Frank now, and neither seemed willing to back down. Billy stepped in.

“I’ll go.” He found himself saying, although it was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to stay with Steve. Watch over him. Protect him from… Billy didn’t know what, but the thought of letting Steve out of his sight pained him.

Joyce sighed in relief and handed Billy the messenger bag she’d arrived with. “Thank you so much. Just tell my husband I’m going to be staying here for a week, he’ll know what to pack.”

Billy shouldered the bag and stole one more glance at Steve before turning to leave.

“Billy.” Frank’s deep voice echoed off the sterile walls of the infirmary. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Billy slowly turned back, staring cautiously at the head of security.

Frank jerked his head in Joyce's direction. “You don’t know where she lives.”

Billy’s shoulders sagged in relief.” Right.”

“Right!” Joyce repeated, throwing a hand in the air. “Sorry, I should have thought of that. I live on 415 Maple street. There’s usually a few bikes on the lawn, you can’t miss it.”

Billy nodded in thanks before turning to leave again. It wasn’t until he got to the elevator that he noticed how heavy the bag seemed.

Curiously, Billy opened the main flap. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the damaged collar Joyce had removed earlier. The one he had almost fought her over. Joyce must have slipped it in when no one was looking.

Billy sighed in relief and watched as the screen above the elevator slowly counted down to the bottom floor.

He could get the collar to Hopper the same time he picked up Joyce’s supplies. If they acted fast, Steve could be free by the end of the week.

_Free._

Billy liked the sound of that word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't mean to make any of you worry, but things are going to get worse from here before they get better.  
> Please let me know what you think! I want to know!


	7. Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy meets the rest of the Party, meanwhile Joyce and Steve's peace is interrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got split in half because otherwise it would have been waaay too long. Thank you all for your patience! I really hope you like this update!

It was a thirty-minute drive from Brenner Relations to Joyce’s house.

Billy was able to spot it from all the bikes parked on the lawn, just like Joyce had said. The house was in a lower-income part of town, but to Billy it felt more like a home than any place he’d ever lived.

He didn’t even have to knock before Hopper was opening the front door. He could probably smell him the second Billy stepped out of the car.

“Kid,” Hopper inclined his head in greeting. “Everything alright?”

“Not exactly.” Billy pulled Steve’s broken collar out of Joyce’s bag.

Within the time it took for Hopper to lead Billy inside and snatch the collar from his hands, Billy had tried his best to fill in the older alpha on all the details. Steve being rushed to the infirmary, Joyce arriving, and Steve going into heat.

He left out the part where Steve has submitted to Billy. It wasn’t exactly an important detail. And considering how protective Hopper seemed to be of Steve, Billy didn’t want to accidentally incur the other man’s wrath.

“Shit,” Hopper finally said, sitting at the kitchen table. “And Joyce is still with him?”

Billy nodded.

Hopper thoughtfully ran a thumb over the collar in his hands. “That’s good. She can take care of him until-”

“Until what?” Billy sat down across from the other alpha. “What’s the plan?”

“There _was_ a plan.” Hopper started. “But it didn’t involve Steve going into heat. And I figured we’d have a little more time…”

The sound of feet stomping up a flight of stairs interrupted the rest of Hopper’s thoughts.

A previously closed door was slammed open and a gaggle of boys appeared.

“Hopper!” A curly-haired one shouted. “What’s going on? I smelled someone!”

“You didn’t smell shit.” Hopper rolled his eyes and stood. “You’ve got at _least_ another two years before you present.”

“But- “the curly-haired kid noticed Billy. “Then who’s that?”

Hopper gave a long-suffering sigh and looked over his shoulder. “Dustin, Billy. Billy, everyone else.”

The smallest of all four boys gave a shy wave. Another one with black hair and what seemed like a permanent frown on his face glared at Billy with suspicion. “What’s he doing here?”

“ _Billy_ ,” Hopper stressed. “Is helping us. He brought this.” Hopper held out the collar.

“Holy shit!” A young black kid shouted and snatched it from Hopper’s hand. He and Dustin huddled together in excitement. Dustin gave Hopper a toothy grin. “Does this mean...?”

“It depends on what we can get from that.” Hopper warned, trying to remain realistic. “But yes, we’re going to get Steve back.”

“It’s broken.” The black-haired kid complained, and stared at Billy, as if he were to blame.

“It’s the best we can do, Mike.” Hopper gave the kid a leveling stare, like a father might to an unruly child.

Billy ignored Mike’s abrasiveness and turned back to Hopper. He gestured to the singed collar. “Do you know someone who can get the code from that?”

“Ha!” The black kid crossed his arms as Dustin spoke.

“Lucas and I have an entire lab set up in the basement.”

“-it’s a table and computers you pulled from dumpsters.” Mike rolled his eyes.

Dustin continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Which _means,_ we can hack into the collar and decode its programming and data.”

“You can do that?” Billy didn’t mean to sound skeptical, but they were kids. Probably no older than Max back home.

“We’re in the AV Club at school.” Lucas supplied, as if that answered anything.

“Come on!” Dustin ran back downstairs. “We’ll show you!”

Billy looked to Hopper for some kind of cue as to what he should do. The older man merely shrugged and ushered the group downstairs.

“I’m Will.” The smallest boy finally spoke as he and Billy descended the staircase.

The house was filled with new conflicting scents, and Billy had quickly determined that almost no one in this house was related by blood. But Will smelled familiar. It wasn’t exact, no one smelled entirely the same even if they’re related. But Billy could detect notes of cinnamon that were reminiscent of Joyce. He was apparently right in his hypothesis that she was a mother.

“Hi Will.” Billy smiled reassuringly. He could feel Hopper’s approving gaze behind him.

The basement was unfinished, leaving support beams and 2x4s still visible in the walls, but there was still an undeniable sense of comfort. The concrete floors were covered by old carpets piled one on top of the other, and there was a well-worn sofa on one side of the wall with a mountain of blankets stacked on top.

It took Billy a minute to realize that there was a young girl hiding beneath those blankets, her dark eyes peeking out beneath the covers.

“Hi.” Billy waved, feeling out of place amongst so many kids. His childhood had for the most part been spent alone, void of peers with just his parents for company. He wasn’t used to living in such a large cluster.

“That’s El.” Mike stated and placed himself between Billy and the couch. “She’s Hopper’s kid.”

Billy nodded and waved, receiving a cautious wave in return.

“Shit!” Billy started as the sound of an electric crackle was heard behind him.

Dustin was fanning a stream of smoke away from one of the many computer drives while Lucas was hunched in front of a screen.

“Is everything alright?” Billy cautiously asked.

Hopper looked over his shoulder and gave Billy a look that said this kind of stuff happened a lot. “Just give them a second.”

It took more than a second for things to calm down. Dustin and Lucas argued over which cables to use while buffeting Mike’s ‘I told you so-s.’

Eventually though, all four boys were working cohesively around the old monitor, watching as Lucas tapped away at the keys.

Lines of code ran across the screen faster than Billy could process, each symbol as foreign to him as hieroglyphics. But the kids seemed to understand it just fine.

Billy turned back to Hopper, who seemed equally illiterate to code. “So, what was the plan originally?”

Hopper ran a hand over his beard. “We’ve got a room upstairs prepped. It took a while, but Joyce figured out how to make it safe for heats. An omega could be in the middle of their cycle and you wouldn’t be able to smell it.”

The older man sighed in frustration. “The plan was to sneak them out and lie low until things calmed down. But with Steve already in heat sneaking him out, let alone across town, is close to impossible.”

“Got it!” Lucas shouted triumphantly.

Everyone in the basement, with the exception of El, crowded around the computer.

Billy stared in confusion at the single digit displayed on screen. “The combination is just one number?”

“Well, no.” Lucas winced. “It’s a five-digit security code. We’ve got one so far.”

“How long until you get the rest?” Hopper squinted at the screen as a loading bar slowly inched forward.

Dustin’s shoulders sunk as he turned to the group. “About ten minutes.”

“That’s not so bad…” Billy started.

“Ten minutes for each number _._ ” Dustin corrected.

An audible groan spread across the room. Will looked around with concern.

“But that’s still okay right? We’ll get the rest of the code in forty minutes…”

Hopper sighed and nodded. “Will’s right,”

Billy’s phone buzzed. He absently pulled the device from his pocket at Hopper continued to speak.

“Compared to where we were just last week we’ve made progress. Things could be a lot worse.”

Those final words felt incredibly hollow to Billy’s ears as his eyes focused on his phone. “Oh shit.”

* * *

  
**_15 Minutes Earlier..._**

Steve blearily blinked open his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was how much it hurt to move his neck. Even breathing seemed to aggravate things.

The second was the warmth and wet feeling between his legs. He was in heat.

But how…?

Steve’s hand reached towards his neck, touching the metallic collar that was still present, then his fingers caught on the newly applied bandages.

Memories were beginning to resurface.

The client, the infirmary, Joyce…

 _Joyce!_ Steve sat up and immediately regretted it as pain around his neck caused his eyes to water.

He must have let out some kind of whine because there was a scurrying noise, and then he heard Joyce’s slightly muffled voice.

“Are you alright honey? How are you feeling?”

Steve opened his eyes again and looked beyond the glass wall to where Joyce was standing. “What happened?”

Joyce sighed and shook her head. “A client attacked you and damaged your collar. We had to remove it.”

“Ah,” Steve nodded and looked at where the hospital gown had bunched up around his thighs. That would explain the heat. Except… no it wouldn’t…

“But why did I…?” Steve gestured vaguely to his lower-half. It was embarrassing to ask Joyce this kind of question. Not because Steve was ashamed of it, but because it was _Joyce_.

The woman had become something of a mother figure to him, especially after he’d presented as an omega.

Joyce smiled sadly. “What do you remember?”

Steve’s brow furrowed in concentration, trying to remember even the slightest detail. But it was like trying to grab at smoke.

“I remember Frank bringing me here. I remember the collar coming off. And I remember Billy…”

Steve trailed off as he stared at Joyce in horror.

“I didn’t…” He couldn’t say it.

“You didn’t,” Joyce assured, “but you made it clear you wanted to.”

Steve groaned and fell back into the pile of blankets he’d apparently made.

 _Nest._ He corrected himself. _He was nesting._

A strange and foreign concept to him. Equally as confusing as the idea that he’d _want_ to bond with anyone, especially after these more recent years.

But he had wanted to bond with Billy. So much so that his heat cycle kicked into overdrive the minute his collar had been removed.

“How are you feeling Steve?” Joyce pressed like a good nurse.

He kicked at the blankets at his feet. It was a childish move, and Steve knew that. But Joyce also knew how rhetorical that question was.

He was feeling hot, in pain, and uncomfortable. He wanted to get out of this infirmary, out of this building, and somewhere far away.

But that wasn’t possible. Especially not now. It would be too dangerous.

But none of that was Joyce’s fault. And he wasn’t being fair to her by not cooperating.

“It feels like my first heat.” Steve finally said.

He remembered how frightening it had felt. The cramps followed by the slick and the unquenchable need to be touched. Steve didn’t know what to do. His parents were away on another trip when it happened, and Steve had struggled through the first three days on his own before he caved and called Joyce.

She found him at his worst and lowest, sweating and shivering in a pool of his own slick, and Joyce loved him anyway. She wiped the tears from Steve’s eyes and taught him the best ways to combat the cramps.

Joyce had stayed with him through his entire heat. ‘Hopper’s got the kids’ was all she’d say when Steve started to feel guilty that he was keeping her from her family.

And here she was again, treating him like that same scared kid. Like Steve hadn’t lived a whole horrible lifetime within the past five years.

“Where’s Billy?” Steve found himself asking.

An odd smile ghosted over Joyce’s face, like she knew what he was thinking. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak Frank entered the room.

“How’s he doing?”

Steve stiffened as the alpha approached Joyce. Regardless of how Frank acted, there was something about him that didn’t sit right with Steve. He frightened him.

But despite that, Steve wanted desperately to be on the other side of the glass. He wanted to put himself between Frank and Joyce and protect her.

But… protect her from what?

Steve took a deep breath as Joyce updated Frank on his current state. It was a little difficult to smell past the glass, but if he focused beyond the abdominal cramps he could just manage.

Steve could smell Joyce’s sweet cinnamony scent along with her anxiety that hung around her like citrus. He so badly wanted to wrap his arms around her shoulders and will that scent away.

The smell of hot tar and pepper pulled Steve’s attention away from Joyce. Frank’s smell always repelled him. But there was something else to it today.

Frank smelled _hungry._ More-so than usual. Steve could see it in his eyes and the way they kept focused on him.

“Tell you what,” Frank interrupted Joyce, “I’m sure you could use a break. How about you grab lunch and I’ll keep an eye on the kid?”

 _No._ Steve wanted to scream. _No something is very wrong! Don’t leave!_

Joyce must have sensed something too. Steve could see it in the polite but firm shake of her head. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Frank’s smile stiffened. “I insist.”

“I’m not leaving my patient alone.” Joyce said. She didn’t have to add ‘alone _with you_ ’ at the end of her response. It was still there, hanging heavy in the air.

Frank smiled and shook his head, scratching at his beard. “Alright then.”

He moved faster than anyone could have expected. With one swoop of his arm Frank had grabbed Joyce around the waist and was dragging her towards a supply closet.

Joyce was screaming and clawing at his arms to no avail. Steve leapt to his feet and ran to the glass wall, but they were both as equally helpless.

Steve screamed and struck the glass when Frank had the gall to hit, _hit_ Joyce for biting him.

She’d managed to break free for a moment as Frank opened the closet door. Steve felt his heart leap in his chest as she made a run for her phone, probably to call Hopper. But it quickly fell back into the pit of his stomach as Frank easily overtook her.

There was nothing Steve could do but watch helplessly as Frank shoved Joyce into the closet and locked it closed, dragging a small cabinet in front of the door for good measure.

There was an awful pause as Frank leaned over to catch his breath. His pants and the sound of Joyce screaming and banging against the door were the only sounds in the infirmary.

Slowly, Frank righted himself. He didn’t bother to adjust his tie as he began to slowly walk towards the isolation unit. Why would he? When it was only going to come off later.

Steve instinctively took a step back, then another as Frank got closer to the glass. By the time his back hit the opposite end of his cell, Frank had pressed the unlock button. The glass door slid open, and Frank closed his eyes as he inhaled Steve’s unfiltered scent.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” Frank’s voice was a deep growl, and it made Steve’s entire frame shake.

His body was battling against itself. Part of him wanted to run as fast as he could away from this threat. But where to? Frank was blocking the only entrance and exit. The other part of Steve that was betraying him right now, wanted to submit. To fall to his knees and bear his neck because it was the path of least resistance. And Steve was tired of fighting.

Steve could feel his legs begin to give out from under him. It would hurt, but then maybe other things would begin to hurt less.

Like the fact that his parents sold him to this hellhole without so much as a goodbye.

Or how Nancy bonded with Jonathan instead of waiting for him like she’d promised. But she was smart. She probably predicted that he wouldn’t be the same person she fell in love with. If she ever loved him at all.

And of course, Billy. The only alpha he’d ever encountered that just wanted to help. That seemed to maybe genuinely like Steve for who he was, not what he could give. But Billy didn’t really know Steve. If he did he’d probably turn tail and run even faster than Nancy had.

It seemed as if Steve’s life was defined by ‘what ifs’ and ‘could have beens.’ A world of possibilities that had been snatched away from him. Taken away by people like Frank and Brenner.

Frank slowly approached with a predatory grin. His sharp teeth visible and shining against the sterile white walls.

Steve finally looked up and met his eye. He couldn’t let them take anything more from him.

“Do you why alphas go crazy over you Steve?”

Steve ran his tongue across his lips. “I don’t know, does it have anything to do with this?”

His leg kicked out and struck at Frank’s shin.

He had the element of surprise, and Steve took full advantage of it. As Frank shouted and leaned over in pain, Steve ran for the door. The tile felt cold against his feet as Steve darted towards the supply closet. He had to get Joyce out of here.

Steve had just made it to the cabinet when Frank caught up to him. He felt the alpha’s strong fingers dig into his sides and lift him off the ground only to slam his down against the floor again, knocking all the air from Steve’s lungs.

Dark spots swam across his vision, and the last thing Steve saw before he blacked out was the burning rage that seemed to make Frank’s wild eyes glow.

* * *

 

Billy started moving the minute he saw Frank open Steve’s cell. He couldn’t see where Joyce was, which was a bad sign.

“Lucas, Dustin,” Billy grabbed a marker and scrawled his cell number on a scrap of paper that littered the basement. “I need you to text me the collar’s pass-key the minute you get them. Got it?”

“Is everything alright? What happened?” Dustin sounded frantic. It probably matched how Billy looked as he bolted up the staircase and out the front door.

He didn’t stop to explain to either Hopper or the kids. Steve was in danger, and Billy had to save him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Billy could see Hopper running out the front door with his own set of car keys. It was the last thing he saw before he pressed the gas pedal to the floor and tore through the Byers’ neighborhood like a bat out of hell.

Billy ground his teeth together, begging for Steve to just _hold on_ until he got there.

It was a thirty-minute drive from Joyce’s house to Brenner Relations. Billy knew he could make it in twenty.

He just hoped to god he’d make it in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliff-hanger (because I know how much you love those)!!  
> Please yell at me in the comments or just share your thoughts. I really enjoy hearing from all of you, and it makes me really excited to begin working on the next chapter!


	8. Beg For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve wakes up trapped in the infirmary with no one around to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered splitting this chapter in half because it ended up being so long. But you all have been so good and patience with me, and I didn't want to leave you waiting any longer.  
> Please remember to leave a review and let me know what you thought!  
> (Just as a heads up, there are some non-con elements in this chapter).

Steve groaned and screwed his eyes shut as he regained consciousness. There was a burning _need_ in the pit of his stomach and a pulsing pain in his head.

Right, his heat. Steve moaned and rubbed at the back of his head. His eyes slowly fluttered open and stared in confusion at the ceiling. _When’d he go to the infirmary?_

He sat up abruptly as everything came rushing back again. This time with the added memories of Frank attacking him and Joyce.

Steve’s hospital gown bunched around his legs as he began to crawl. The only thing running through his head was the need to _run_.

Steve slid from his hospital bed and immediately fell on his face. He just barely managed to throw his hands out to shield himself from the worst of the impact.

“Ah good. You’re awake.” Frank’s voice sounded soft, almost friendly as it grew closer. “Let me help you with that…”

Strong arms wrapped around Steve’s torso and lifted him up. Frank was gentle as he resituated Steve in his arms and looked down at him.

“Don’t want you to hurt yourself.” His voice was soothing and exuded the typical strong alpha vibes that would normally make an omega swoon. Steve could feel it working as his body begged him to relax. To submit to those steel grey eyes.

But Steve knew better than that. He knew alphas.

Steve’s eyes trailed down to his leg where it had been tethered to the bed with hospital gauze. That would explain him falling down.

“Where’s Joyce?” Steve stretched and arched his back, trying to look over Frank’s shoulder to where he’d last seen her. He briefly caught sight of the cabinet still blocking the supply closet, but Frank readjusted his hold on Steve and slid him back onto the hospital bed.

“She’s fine.” Frank smiled and rested his hand on Steve’s restrained calf. “You shouldn’t be worrying about her right now.”

The clouds had nearly cleared from his mind as Steve looked up at Frank. The gravity of his current position finally settled like a rock in the pit of his stomach.

“I’ve thought about what I wanted to do to you since the first moment I laid eyes on you.” Frank murmured.

The sound of his voice caused Steve to freeze. His hands instinctively bunched up around the sheets beneath him, seeking some kind of stability. Something to hold onto as Frank continued.

“I was just waiting for the day when Brenner was done with you. You wouldn’t go back home. But you wouldn’t be sold off to some breeding house in Lutsk either,”

Steve’s eyes widened in horror. He could barely process what Frank was admitting to before the alpha spoke again. They were never planning on letting him go.

“We’d both disappear and no one would find you. You’d be mine, to have and to fuck. You’d never need to see another living soul again.”

Frank tightened his grip on his leg painfully. “And today I thought about breaking your leg like you tried to break mine. So you couldn’t run away from me ever again.”

Steve squirmed and tried to pull away. He was close to screaming out from the vice-like grip, but didn’t want to give Frank the satisfaction.

Frank’s eyes remained cold as he eventually relaxed his grip and gently caressing the area that would surely be bruised later. “But then I realized I liked you fighting back. I liked the idea of chasing you down and proving again and again that no matter what Stevie-boy,”

As Frank leaned forward to sneer into Steve’s face, his hand slid upwards and dangerously close to the hem of Steve’s hospital gown.

“You’re mine. And I will always find you. I don’t care how far you run or who tries to keep you from me, you will always be mine. The lives of anyone stupid enough to stand in my way are on your conscience. Because you were foolish enough to think someone could protect you from me.”

Steve thought of everyone he loved and considered family. They were all in danger because they cared about him. He couldn’t let Frank get the chance to make good on his threat.

He kicked out with his free leg and caught Frank in the stomach. Steve could hear the air leave the alpha’s chest as he kicked again, this time toppling Frank over the side of the bed and onto the floor.

His mind was racing as Steve worked to undo the wrappings around his ankle.

He had to get out of here. He had to get Joyce and all the other omegas out of here!

Despite his shaky hands, Steve made quick work of the knot and tumbled out of the bed, stomping on Frank’s chest for good measure.

“Joyce!” Steve called out as he practically threw himself at the cabinet blocking the closet.

“Steve?” She cried back, disbelief and hope evident in her voice. “Are you alright?”

Steve didn’t know if he could answer that. His body was high on adrenaline, not paying attention to anything other than his current mission: _Free Joyce_.

Distantly though, he felt the bandages around his neck and the air conditioning beating against his thin hospital gown. He felt vulnerable.

Steve finally managed to push the cabinet out of the way. “I’m almost there!”

He reached for the door knob and felt Joyce twisting it on her side as well. But just as Steve moved to unlock it a heavy force slammed him into the door instead.

Steve cried out and distantly recognizes the smell of tar and pepper as Frank growled in his ear.

“Big mistake kid.” His voice was low, and beyond threatening now.

“Steve! Steve are you alright?” Joyce’s cries sounded more distant that before. Like he was hearing her through a tunnel.

He was still too stunned to respond as Frank kicked his legs out from under him. The unforgiving tile floor cracked against Steve’s head, but he remained conscious. There was no blissful relief of oblivion, just cold hard reality.

 _Get up._ Steve commanded as he tried to push himself back to his feet.

The sudden explosive feeling of an electrical shock shot up Steve’s spine, causing him to collapse and seize on the floor again.

Steve could hear himself screaming. Writhing on the floor, trying to escape the unseen power that was causing so much pain.

By the time it stopped, Steve’s ears were ringing.

“It’s been years since I’ve had to use that.” Frank said.

Steve looked up to where the alpha was towering over him, brandishing a small device in his hands.

“In fact I think the last time was the first day you arrived.” Frank ran his thumb over the trigger switch. “You were always such a fast learner.”

Steve convulsed as Frank presses the switch again, sending electrical shocks from the collar all through his body.

Finally it stopped, and Steve was left gasping on the floor. He distantly recognized the taste of blood in his mouth.

Frank began dragging him across the floor and back towards the bed.

Joyce was still banging on the door and clawing at the handle. “Don’t you dare touch him!”

Her cries grew more faint the further Frank pulled him away.

“Just so you know,” Frank started as he forcefully hauled Steve off the ground, “I’m killing her first.” He finished and threw Steve back onto the bed.

Steve felt his body bounce once before Frank was on top of him, pinning his arms above his head with one meaty fist. His other hand was at Steve’s neck.

More specifically at the collar around Steve’s neck.

“No!” Steve shouted and struggled under Frank’s weight. “No, please!”

“We’re well beyond ‘please’ Stevie.” Frank growled as he struggled to get a grip on the collar. He wore a toothy grin, as if he liked watching Steve try to evade his touch.

But once he got bored with that little game, Frank wrapped his hand around Steve’s throat and squeezed. “Stop. Moving.”

Steve continued to struggle until the edges of his vision began to blur. All his limbs felt heavy. Even if he wanted to fight, Steve doubted he could.

Just when he was on the brink of blacking out again, Steve felt Frank release his grip. He gasped for air, coughing and instinctively wanting to curl in on himself.

As he desperately gasped for breath, Steve was faintly aware that Frank had let go of his hands and turned all his attention to the collar. Frank punched in the passcode, manhandled the collar off of Steve’s neck, and distractedly tossed it across the room.

Steve felt oddly detached as he watched the discarded collar slide across the tile. The only thing standing between him and Frank now, were the bandages around his neck.

As Frank began tearing away at said bandages, Steve could feel some of the wounds reopening around his neck. But Frank didn’t care about being gentle when all he’d ever wanted was to tear Steve apart in every sense of the word.

Steve’s energy came back slowly. It felt like his body was slowly thawing after being left out in the cold. He sluggishly reached up and pushed at Frank’s chest and face, a last ditch effort to protect himself, but the alpha only laughed at his attempt.

Before Steve could even fully process it, the final wrappings around his neck were peeled away, and Frank’s mouth was licking and sucking at the newly opened wounds.

“-taste so good… Just like I imagined.” Frank’s low voice rattled in his ears as the alpha continued to tongue and suck his way along Steve’s neck until he reached where the collar used to be.

Steve shuddered at the feeling of Frank’s teeth dragging along his neck. It had been years since he’d been fitted with a collar, and Steve’s skin had become hypersensitive to even the slightest of touches. His toes curled at just the feeling of Frank’s hot breath against his neck.

“You know why alphas go crazy over you Steve?” Frank pressed his nose just under Steve’s ear and inhaled sharply, reveling in the way it made the omega beneath him squirm. “Because you smell fucking delicious when you’re afraid.”

Frank chuckled and nipped threateningly at his neck, causing the smell of lavender to grow to an almost suffocating level. “And you’re always afraid, aren’t you Stevie?”

“Please.” Steve whispered. But at this point he didn’t know what he was begging for. With the collar gone, he felt the omega part of him fully awakening. The heat and slick between his legs increased ten-fold, and Steve felt a frustrating need for _friction_.

But he didn’t want this. Not with Frank.

“Please stop.” He begged.

Frank grinned against Steve’s skin and paused, if only for a moment, before reaching one of his hands down between Steve’s legs. “Do you really want me to stop?”

Steve’s breath hitched as Frank palmed him through his hospital gown. Heat raced up his body and sent bolts of pleasure straight to his brain, overriding all his senses. _It felt so good._

But that feeling disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving Steve involuntarily whining with need. He looked down to see Frank’s hand hovering between his legs, within reach, but not making contact.

Frank was watching him with a grin that Steve was sure he’d normally find terrifying. “You have to want it, Stevie-boy. You have to make a move if you want me to help you.”

 _‘Help_.’ Steve distantly thought wryly. Everyone wanted to help him, just as long as they got something out of it first.

But those thoughts were quickly banished as Frank began to suck and nip at Steve’s neck again. His teeth teasing above the area that would bond them together forever. Frank just had to bite hard enough to break skin.

As if reading his mind, Frank spoke again. “I could make this feel good for you Steve.” His hot breath ghosted against Steve’s ear.

“I’m gonna fuck you either way kid, you might as well have a little fun while we’re at it.”

Steve was panting in both fear and need. He couldn’t think straight. Deep down, he knew this wasn’t what he wanted. That Frank was a liar and was just toying with him. That his life will effectively be over the second he’s bound to Frank.

But it would be so _easy_ to give in.

“I. Want. To. Hear. You. Beg.” Frank punctuated every word by closing the distance between them. Lowering himself closer and closer all-the-while not touching him in the way Steve’s body craved. Not offering any relief. Frank’s hand was still hovering tantalizingly over his crotch, and Steve was embarrassed to realize how hard he’d become just from Frank’s hand alone.

It was his heat. It made everything feel _more_. More pleasurable. More agonizing. Just… More.

“I’m getting impatient Steve.” Frank growled and began to bite down on Steve’s exposed skin, causing the omega to cry out in pain. “Are you going to help get me off? Or are we going to do this the hard way?”

“Yeah I’ll help you get off.” A familiar voice spoke from behind Frank. As the larger alpha turned in surprise, he was struck in the head with a hospital chair. The metallic clang echoed all around the infirmary as it made contact with Frank’s jaw and knocked the alpha to the floor.

Through blurred vision, Steve watched as the figure hit Frank two more times before he threw the chair to the floor. Everything was still a haze as the other man, an alpha, Steve vaguely registered, gently brushed the hair out of his face and leaned forward.

“Are you alright?” Eyes as blue as the sea came into focus and stared at Steve in concern. The pleasing smell of cloves overwhelmed his senses.

“Billy.” Steve murmured his name and clumsily reached up to touch the other man’s face.

Billy held Steve’s hand in place and desperately searched his body for any long-lasting damage. “Are you hurt?”

It took an embarrassingly long amount of time for Steve to answer. The only thing his mind seemed to be able to focus on was how badly he wanted to kiss Billy. If Steve didn’t feel so weak he might have actually attempted to lean upwards and make good on that desire.

“No.” Steve eventually replied, shaking his head.

Billy gave a sigh of relief and began to scoop Steve up in his arms. “Good. Let’s get you out of here.”

* * *

 

Billy couldn’t begin to express the rage that had consumed him when he saw Frank preparing to mate with Steve.

His vision had burned red, and Billy didn’t fully regain control of himself until Frank was bloody and unconscious as his feet. And looking at Steve only made his chest tighten all over again.

He was almost too late.

Had Billy been just a second slower, he might have lost Steve forever.

But then the omega in his arms was whispering his name again, and Billy was pulled back to the present.

Steve looked absolutely disheveled. His eyes were blown out, and Billy was trying very hard to ignore Steve’s scent or the slick between his legs. Which was proving extremely difficult since Billy was carrying Steve bridal-style through the infirmary and his arm was tucked just under Steve’s legs. It also didn’t help that Steve was pressing his nose into the crook of Billy’s neck, nuzzling his scent gland and practically purring against his skin.

“Billy…” Steve murmured, but then snapped his head back and stared at Billy in sudden realization. “Billy!”

“Wha-” But before Billy could finish his question Steve was scrambling out of his arms. It took a great deal of skill on his part to keep Steve from pulling both of them into a tangled heap on the floor.

Although Steve had managed to stand, he was still leaning heavily on Billy as he pointed to a supply closet.

He let Steve half-guide, half-drag him over to the closet. Once they got closer Billy could hear faint noises coming from the other side. It sounded like someone crying.

“Wait here,” Billy leaned Steve against the wall. He was hesitant to let go of him, but it would be easier to open the door if Steve wasn’t hanging on him.

Billy should have thought of Joyce earlier. He didn’t know why he hadn’t. But when he caught sight of her, with her back pressed against the wall and shoulders shaking, Billy’s chest constricted with guilt.

“Joyce…” He didn’t know what else to say.

Joyce’s eyes snapped upwards. They were red from crying.

“Billy!” Joyce pushed off the wall and wrapped her arms around him. “Is Steve-?”

“He’s alright, I’ve got him.” Billy gestured to where Steve was still swaying against the wall.

Joyce pulled herself away from Billy and jumped into the role of nurse, her own tears completely forgotten. One of Joyce’s hands drifted to Steve’s neck hovering over the reopened wounds. Her eyes tracked his skin, searching for any new marks. “Did Frank…”

“No.” Billy didn’t have to wait to hear Joyce’s question. He didn’t even want to think about that possible outcome anymore.

His eyes traveled back to where Frank was still lying motionless on the floor. “We have to go, Joyce.”

“I need to rewrap-“

“You can do that in the car,” Billy wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist and began to guide the two omegas towards the elevator. “Right now we have to _leave._ ”

* * *

 

The trio had descended into silence by the time they got into the elevator. Each consumed by their own worries.

Billy hadn’t considered how putting Steve in a small space would enhance his scent. The smell of lavender lingered along with something sweeter.

Billy tried to hold his breath as often as possible, afraid that his more aggressive alpha nature might try to take control. As Billy’s phone buzzed, he distantly wondered why that hadn’t happened already. He was notorious for being an overly aggressive alpha back in high school.

“Who’s that?” Joyce asked, watching as Billy looked at the screen.

The screen read: _1 9 8._

“Dustin and Lucas.” Steve’s eyes brightened for a moment as Billy answered. “They were getting the passcode for the collar. We’re still waiting on one number, but that doesn’t really matter since…”

 _Since Frank took it off already._ Billy didn’t finish his sentence. Didn’t want to remind any of them of what could have been.

“Wait-“ Steve suddenly spoke up and leaned towards the elevator console.

“What’s wrong?” Joyce tried to help steady him as Steve halted the elevator and pressed the upwards button.

“Carol. The others…” His voice was strained.

Billy shook his head. “Steve, we don’t have time…”

Steve’s eyes focused on him, surprisingly lucid now. “They were going to sell me Billy. They’re going to sell _them_. We can’t leave.”

Billy didn’t know what to say.   _‘They weren’t going to sell_ all _of them’_ seemed too cold hearted and required more explanation than they had time for.

Deep down, he knew Steve was right. Which is probably why he allowed the omega to change their trajectory towards the top floor.

Billy turned to Joyce. “I’ll get the other omegas out. Once we reach the penthouse I want you and Steve to ride back down to the garage and get the car ready.”

“I’m staying,” Steve shook his head. “they won’t listen to you.”

“Steve,” Both Billy and Joyce began, equally unhappy with his interjection.

“They like Billy.” Steve panted against the wall, “but they don’t trust him.”

Steve’s body trembled slightly, and his eyes were hooded. You didn’t have to be a genius to know he was holding on by a thread. God knows how he’s managed to stay up this long.

“Okay.” Billy conceded. “But I want you to stay by the elevator. We have to be fast.”

Steve nodded. His eyes were closed, and Billy couldn’t decide if it was in pain or something else. That is until he noticed that Steve’s chest wasn’t rising and falling normally. He was holding his breath too.

Billy’s eyes briefly glanced between Steve’s legs. Slick was dripping steadily down his limbs, giving the air a slightly sweet aroma when Billy inhaled. It must be as difficult for Steve to be this close to an alpha as it was for Billy to be close to Steve. He made a mental note to grab a fresh set of clothes for Steve before they leave the penthouse, kicking himself for not thinking of that earlier.

As the elevator doors dinged open, Billy was met with Carol’s frightened eyes.

“What happened? You were gone for so— Steve!” She shouted and ran to wrap her arms around him but stopped just short, arms still outstretched. “Are you in heat? Your neck… what happened?”

Carol followed Billy as he guided Steve out of the elevator. He briefly nodding to Joyce as she shut the doors behind them.

“Hello?! Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?”

Carol’s voice quickly attracted the attention of the rest of the penthouse’s inhabitants, and Billy found himself surrounded by confused and accusatory eyes.

“Frank.” Steve’s voice could barely be heard over the other voices. “It was Frank.”

Carol sat next to Steve on the couch. “He did all this?”

It wasn’t lost to Billy that Carol had strategically placed herself between him and Steve.

Steve nodded. “There’s a lot to explain. But we need to leave.”

“Leave?” Tonya stared in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Brenner’s planning on selling most of you to a breeding farm.” Billy spoke up. He knew Steve didn’t have the energy to explain everything. “I can get your collars off and out of here tonight, but we have to hurry.”

Carol and the other omegas turned to Steve, waiting for confirmation.

“It’s true.” He breathed. “All of it.”

“Then let’s get out of here!” Carol stepped towards Billy, pulling her hair out of the way of the collar.

Billy distantly recognized the mechanical whir of the elevator moving as he pulled out his phone. _Was Joyce coming back?_

“We’re still waiting on the full passcode.” Billy held up his phone as if in explanation. They could take the elevator down to the garage and hope Dustin or Lucas would have texted by then, but it would be more dangerous since they could be tracked.

Suddenly Billy remembered something. He leaned closer to Carol.

“Steve needs clothes, can you help?” He whispered, imploringly.

Carol’s hair fell back around her shoulders. For a brief moment she looked like she might shout at him. She was frustrated. The possibility of freedom dangled in front of her like a carrot only to be snatched away again. But then her eyes traveled to Steve.

Steve, who had watched and protected her for the past few years. Steve, who always stayed awake until she returned from a client so he could help put her back together again. Steve, who was currently curled up in a ball on the couch, panting and squeezing his eyes shut as if attempting to will the world away.

He looked so small and vulnerable, dressed in nothing but a hospital gown that stuck to his skin from sweat, slick, and god knows what else. He needed her.

Carol nodded at Billy and then disappeared down the hallway that lead to their bedrooms.

“What can we do to help?” Nick asked.

Billy’s mind was racing. What _could_ they do?

“Grab whatever you need and be ready to go.” He said over his shoulder as he walked back towards the elevator. “Don’t worry about food. We can--”

Frank was out of the elevator before the doors had even fully opened. With an inhuman snarl, he gripped Billy’s neck and used his momentum to slam him into the wall.

Claire screamed and dropped the personal items in her arms. The rest of inhabitants froze and watched the two alphas fight.

Blood from Frank’s head injury caked his hair to one side and bled into his eyes, giving him a terrifyingly feral visage.

“You should have killed me.” He growled and lifted Billy’s body off the ground, pulling him forward and slamming him back into the wall again.

Billy saw stars as his legs kicked out helplessly, trying to find purchase.

“Stop!” Carol appeared from the hallway, throwing Steve’s clothes to the side as she ran to help Billy. She halted in her tracks when Frank held up the remote for their collars.

“Sure you want to do that sweetie?”

Billy looked at the outstretched remote. Just as things were beginning to blur, he realized: Frank was only holding him up with one arm.

He had just one shot at this…

Billy gripped the arm that was restraining him and swung his body to the left. As he’d hoped, Frank lost his balance, and they both fell to the floor. His phone fell from Billy’s pocket and slid far out of reach under the couch. But that was the least of his concerns right now.

Billy gasped for breath as he climbed on top of Frank and pulled his arm back to punch the other alpha. But he was still not at full strength, and Frank was able to catch his fist easily.

“Nice try.” He grinned before swinging his own arm around and caught the side of Billy’s temple.

 Frank rolled so he was on top of Billy.

“I really wish I could make you watch,” He laughed as Billy renewed his struggles. “But you’re too much of a pain in the ass to risk it.”

Frank’s weight pressed down on Billy’s chest as he swung his arm back. “Just know, I’m going to make it hurt.”

Billy’s head snapped to the side as Frank’s fist struck him. He didn’t even have time to fully process the pain when Frank hit him again. And again, and again. Carol and Beth were screaming for Frank to stop. But their cries sounded more and more distant as Billy began to lose consciousness.

* * *

 

Up to this point, Steve was only faintly-aware of his surroundings.

Being in the elevator with Billy had been excruciating. He’d smelled so good, and it had taken everything in Steve to keep himself from rubbing up against Billy’s solid form.

He remembered getting to the suite and Billy asking Carol to get him clothes. But beyond that Steve had only been able to focus on how hot and uncomfortable he was.

That is, until he heard Frank’s voice. Suddenly Steve felt almost unbearably present and aware of his surroundings.

He watched helplessly as Frank threw Billy across the room like a rag doll. His own body ached as Frank used Billy’s face as a punching bag. And it felt like his heart was being crushed as Steve watch Frank stand and give Billy one final kick to the ribs.

Billy has gone unnaturally still, and Steve hoped he had only lost consciousness, and that he wasn’t dead.

“What did I tell you?” Frank shook his head and turned his attention towards Steve. His steel-grey eyes surrounded by dried blood sent shivers down Steve’s spine. “No one is going to take you away from me.”

“No!” Carol shouted and ran between Steve and Frank.

“Carol…” Steve pleaded. But before he could say anymore, Frank has backhanded her so hard she crumpled to a heap on the ground.

Steve leaned over the couch to try and reach her, but was quickly pushed back down by Frank. His vision spun as Frank turned to address the other omegas.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay put.”

Beth took a step forward, but was quickly reduced to a writhing mess as Frank activated the electrical charge in her collar.

Frank held up the device. “Anyone else?”

When no one else made a move, Frank smirked and pocketed the switch. “Now if I were in a better mood, I’d take my time with this, make it enjoyable for you. Maybe even give us a little privacy.”

Frank turned to look down on Steve. “But I’m in a really bad mood. And I think your little friends should watch this.”

Steve stared up at Frank desperately. “Please don’t hurt them.”

“Oh I’m not going to hurt them.” Frank knelt over him on the couch. “Brenner might though. Hell, after he finds out his head of security disappeared with his favorite omega, Brenner will probably ship all of them off to Lutsk and start over.”

Steve’s heart hammered against his chest as Frank leaned forward. The alpha ran his tongue along his neck before Frank began nipping and sucking along his pulse-point. He wasn’t biting down or breaking skin, not claiming him just yet, but Steve could feel his body responding. A whine escaped his lips, and Steve’s legs spread open slightly.

“That’s my boy.” Frank purred in his ear before reaching for his belt, fumbling one-handedly with the buckle. “Let’s give them a show.”

Steve stared up at the ceiling, trying to focus on a corner of the room and escape there. It was a little trick he’d learned during his first year. If he focused all his energy on some space or object, it would help distance himself from what he was experiencing. From all the rough hands, invasive touches, and dirty words.

Steve had worked so hard to convince himself that the past few years have been happening to somebody else. That the Steve Harrington he was before Brenner Relations wasn’t the same person who’d lost count of the alphas who used and abused him.

But as he felt Frank’s fingers grope and dig into his skin he found it more and more difficult to focus on anything _but_ the alpha above him.

Steve had never been in heat before when he’d tried to escape. It was as if his omega nature didn’t want to distance himself from what was happening. He couldn’t escape. He couldn’t pretend that this wasn’t real, because it was. Steve was dirty, used, and broken. No one would ever want him now. No one should.

He gasped involuntarily when he felt something other than Frank’s fingers rubbing against his entrance. When Steve tried to look down, Frank pushed his head back and held him against the couch.

Frank leaned forward and pressed his nose against Steve’s ear. “Are you ready for me Stevie-boy?”

Steve wanted to shake his head, but Frank had him pinned. The only thing he could do was stare at Billy’s prone form as he felt Frank’s teeth drag along with pulse-point and begin to bite down.

Just when he could feel Frank’s teeth begin to break skin, at the same time the alpha began to thrust his hips forward, Steve’ heard a mechanical clicking noise followed by the sound of something metallic hitting the ground.

The pressure at both his neck and entrance disappeared as he and Frank both turned towards the sound.

Carol glared defiantly at Frank. In one hand was Billy’s cell phone, the other held a kitchen knife. Her discarded collar lay at her feet.

“Carol,” Frank began, holding out a cautious hand like she was some wild animal.

Carol tossed Billy’s phone to Tonya, who quickly got to work on the other omegas’ collars.

Frank growled, more threatening this time. “Carol...”

Carol took a step towards Frank. One step lead to another, then quickly turned into a sprint. She screamed and lunged.

Frank threw his hands up, protecting his face but leading to Carol slicing up his arm instead. He cried out in pain and rolled off the couch.

Steve watched through blurry eyes as the other omegas joined Carol in circling Frank like prey.

 _‘Billy.’_ His eyes sought out the other alpha. Billy still hadn’t moved from where Frank left him.

Steve winced as he pushed himself into a sitting position and stood up from the couch. Suddenly nothing was more important than making sure Billy was okay.

No one else in the room noticed as he began to stumble across the room. Frank had his hands full trying to fend off the omegas’ attacks. And Carol and the others were busy exacting revenge against the man who had previously been their prison warden.

Steve knelt next to Billy and held a trembling hand against the alpha’s neck.

 _‘’Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead.’_ Steve chanted, holding his breath and waiting.

He never could have imagined how much joy a steady pulse might bring. But when Steve felt Billy’s heartbeat beneath his fingers, he practically sobbed in relief. Steve’s shoulders relaxed as he rested his head atop Billy’s chest.

They just might be okay.

“Steve?”

Steve raised his head and looked over his shoulder. Carol, Nick, and Tonya had Frank on his knees. The others were standing around him with knives pressed to his neck.

“What do you want us to do Steve?” Carol asked again. They were all waiting on him.

Frank stared him down. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Do what?” Steve stepped forward on shaky feet. “Get revenge for everything you put us through?”

“I’ll let you all leave. I’ll get you whatever you need. Just tell me what you want.” Frank shrugged casually, as if he still had any semblance of power here. It made Steve’s blood boil. Did Frank really think they could be so easily bought?

“I. Want. To. Hear. You. Beg.” Steve punctuated every word with a step as he approached his abuser.

Rage burned behind Frank’s eyes. He lurched forward, as if to lunge at Steve, but thought better of it as the knives pressed harder against his throat. Frank wet his lips.

“Please.” He said with no emotion at first. But Steve could hear his deep voice waver slightly. “Please Steve. You wouldn’t let them kill me.”

Steve sighed and turned away as if in thought. Steadily, he looked back and leveled Frank with a cold stare.

“You and I both know we’re well beyond ‘please’ Frank.” Steve nodded to Carol and turned back to Billy.

Steve didn’t have to watch as Frank was gutted and torn limb from limb. The alpha’s screams were enough for him. Even as they turned from shrieks of pain to a more guttural gurgling sound, as if Frank was drowning in his own blood, Steve had no desire to look at that alpha ever again.

He curled up around Billy’s still unconscious form. Partially from exhaustion, and partially because Steve needed to feel safe and grounded right now. And in the more recent years, the safest he’d felt was in Billy’s arms the night that Tommy visited.

Steve closed his eyes and finally let the heavy exhaustion of his heat pull him into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *deep sigh of relief* They made it.  
> Thank you so much for reading this far! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, but it took a lot of time and effort and it would mean a lot if you let me know how you're enjoying this story so far! <3


	9. Is It Over?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They'd managed to escape, but that didn't mean they were free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience! I'd unfortunately been pretty sick the past month and just not in the right mindset to keep writing. But I'm back now! And I'm really excited to see how you all like this update so PLEASE!!! Let me know!

Consciousness came back to Billy in slow increments. At first there was just a foggy pain, like he’d been hit by a bus. Then he could distantly hear music. Some 80s song with synthesizers that made him feel like he was listening from deep within a cave.

But then again that might also be because of the pain.

Billy slowly blinked open his eyes, and immediately regretted it. There were lights flashing in and out of sight, and they only seemed to worsen his already pulsing headache.

He groaned and leaned forward but found something was keeping him from moving.

Billy looked down and felt the seat-belt across his chest. A car. He was in a car.

The flashing light came into focus and Billy realized they were passing streetlights.

“Hey, you’re awake.” A deep voice spoke from Billy’s left.

His head lolled to the side, and Billy was met with Hopper’s serious gaze.

“How do you feel?” Hopper was driving a little over the speed limit, but the day was getting late and there weren’t too many other cars on the road.

“Like shit.” Billy managed to slur out.

That earned him a smile from the other alpha. “Yeah well, you look like shit. I heard you took quite the beating.”

Billy winces at gingerly poked at his face. It should probably bother him that he didn’t really _feel_ himself touching his own face. It felt like he was poking a slab of meat.

“Steve?” Billy’s eyes widened and he jerked forward, suddenly remember _why_ he felt like he was hit by a bus.

“He’s fine.” Hopper quickly supplied, gesturing over his shoulder.

Billy did his best to shift in his seat, distantly realized they were riding in Hopper’s truck.

Steve was in the backseat with his head resting in Carol’s lap and Nick and Claire on either side. They were all making physical contact some way or another, but for the most part were enveloping Steve, shielding him from the rest of the world. It reminded Billy of a puppy pile with Steve in the center.

His deep brown eyes were glassy and hooded, and his breathing was labored as Carol gently carded her fingers through his hair.

It took Billy an embarrassingly long time to notice that Carol and the other omegas were coated is dark crusted blood. Frank's blood, judging by the tarr-ish smell of it. Billy knew he missed a lot after he blacked out, but he didn't have the energy to ask questions.

The backseat passengers looked horrifying, but they were safe.

Steve was safe.

Billy slumped back into his seat, relief almost overwhelming the pain.

He froze, realizing they were short a few people. “Where’s Joyce and—?”

“Joyce is driving everyone else in your car. They’re fine.”

“Oh.” Billy said, allowing all the air to slowly leave his lungs. His entire body ached, but there was also a new calmness weighing him down. Like collapsing onto a soft bed after a long day.

It was all over.

“We’re going to be okay, right?” Billy found himself asking. His voice joining the quiet ambience of the radio and passing lights.

Hopper glanced at Billy then turned his attention back to the road. “We’ll all have to lay low for a while. But yeah, I think we’re okay.”

Billy nodded as his eyes continued to droop. Sleep came quicker that it had in a long time.

* * *

 

Once they got back to the Byers, both Joyce and Hopper jumped into action.

Billy watched in a daze as Hopper carried Steve somewhere inside the house. Joyce appeared, opening his car door and gently ushered him towards the house with the rest of the omegas.

It was all a blur. One minute he was stepping out of the car, and the next he was sitting on one of the couches downstairs with Carol sleeping at his side.

Some time must have passed, because Carol was all washed up and wearing new clothes. Joyce had also appeared at some point to clean and check his injuries. There were a few cuts and bruises that were going to take a while to heal. But there was no permanent damage.

The basement smelled stale, and Billy slowly realized that the kids weren't around. Hopper or Joyce must have taken them someplace else so they were out of the way.

Billy still hadn't seen Steve yet. He couldn't even smell him, and that made Billy nervous. He'd spent so much time charged with watching over Steve, _wanting_ to take care of him, that not knowing where he was felt like missing a limb.

Billy carefully untangled himself from Carol and stood up from the couch.

The other omegas were sleeping on or around the couch, all close to each other. Their now unhampered scents wafted around the basement, filling the air with conflicting aromas.

But none of them mattered right now.

Billy tripped over his own feet as he walked towards the stairs. Remaining upright seemed a little daunting right now, so he resolved to climbing each step on his hands and knees like a child. The world seemed to spin less the closer you were to the floor.

Distantly, he knew he shouldn't be moving around too much. He might have a concussion, and even if he didn't his body was still recovering from the beating he got from Frank.

By the time Billy reached the top of the stairs, he could hear muffled voices. As he pushed the basement door open, those voices halted as two familiar sets of eyes focused on him.

“Billy,” Joyce strode across the room and pressed a hand to his forehead, “you shouldn't be up.”

“Steve.” was all he said in response. A question and an explanation wrapped up in one single name.

“He's fine, kid.” Hopper assured him from the other side of the room.

Billy didn't miss the way Joyce and Hopper glared at each other at the alpha's answer.

He looked between the two and then sniffed the air. He still couldn't smell Steve.

Sensing his growing concern, Joyce rubbed at his arm, trying to instill comfort. “We've got him in one of the bedrooms. We used padding and extra insulation so it's safe for heats.”

So that was why he couldn't smell him. They'd rigged up their own isolation chamber.

Billy looked again from Joyce to Hopper. As the drowsiness cleared, he became more aware of the tension in the room.

“What's wrong?”

Before either Joyce or Hopper could respond, the front door was thrown open and three young adults stumbled through. Billy only recognized one of them.

Tommy stopped only momentarily to survey the room before he inhaled sharply and took off down the basement.

As the muffled sound of both Carol and Tommy gleefully crying out was heard, Billy turned his attention toward the two new faces.

The young man was roughly Billy's age, with a narrow frame and eyes that seemed to see everything. His mouth was pulled into a thin line as the girl next to him did all the talking.

“Is Steve alright? Where is he?” Her dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail that swung and bounced with her own quick movements. Billy could tell she was an alpha without having to even catch her scent. It was evident in her eyes and stance. She wasn't asking for anything, she was demanding.

“I need to see him Joyce.” The young woman spoke again and looked around the room. She was probably confused as to why she couldn't smell Steve.

Joyce looked conflicted. She held the other girl at arm’s length, occasionally looking back to the boy she'd arrived with.

 _Her son._ Billy slowly realized as he noticed the familiar cinnamony smell that seemed to follow Joyce and her children everywhere.

“Are you Nancy?” the words were out of Billy's mouth before he could stop himself.

All eyes turned to him.

“Yes,” Nancy cautiously replied. “and you are?”

That was a very good question. Because up until today Billy was an employee of Brenner Relations. It was his job to watch over Steve and all the other omegas and make sure no one touched them that Brenner didn't _want_ touching them.

But that was a lot to explain, and probably wouldn't paint Billy is a very positive light for these two new faces.

When you got down to it though, Billy looked out for Steve. And he didn't feel like his job was done just yet.

“I don't think you should be here right now.” Billy said, choosing not to answer Nancy's previous question. And maybe there was a better way to phrase that, but he didn't have a temperament for diplomacy.

Nancy looked taken aback. “Excuse me?”

She stepped forward and Billy could feel his hackles begin to raise in anticipation for a fight.

“Billy's been helping us,” Hopper cut in, physically positioning himself between the younger alphas. “He helped get the info on Lutsk.”

That at least caused Nancy to back down. She glanced over Billy again, looking for something to justify any hostility. “That still doesn't give him the right to-”

“I'm sure you care about Steve,” Billy looked around Hopper's taller frame so he could make eye contact with Nancy, “but I think the last thing he needs right now is to be reminded that the alpha he loved didn't love him back.”

Maybe that was too harsh, and not at all in Billy's place to say, but judging from the way Joyce's shoulders relaxed it needed to be said.

Nancy's mouth hung open in surprise and her partner, the one she chose over Steve, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. This was clearly still a sensitive subject.

Billy was sure Nancy felt guilty. From what little he knew of her, he could tell she was the type to make things her own personal crusade. So leaving someone like Steve… without as much of an excuse or apology must not have sat well with her.

But he wasn't here to empathize or explain away Nancy's actions. He was here for Steve.

Eventually Joyce spoke up. “He has had a difficult day, it might not be a good idea to give him any added stress right now.”

To Billy, _a difficult day_ felt like a bit of an under exaggeration, but it seemed to get the job done. Nancy closed her mouth and eventually nodded.

As Hopper pulled her aside to talk about something related to Lutsk, Billy was left with the young man she'd arrived with.

“I'm Jonathan.” The omega said and extended a hand, which was clearly a gesture he wasn't used to offering.

Billy remembered the name from when Tommy visited Steve the first time. He seemed so much… less than what Billy had imagined.

“Did you know Steve? Before...?” Billy asked, not shaking his hand and not bothering to introduce himself when Jonathan already had his name.

Jonathan withdrew his hand. “We all went to high school together.”

Billy nodded. “Right, back with Steve and Nancy were dating.”

Jonathan squirmed again, and Billy fought the urge to grin. Something in the pit of his stomach wanted to honor or defend Steve somehow from the people who had betrayed him so deeply. And maybe that was none of his business. Maybe it wasn't what Steve would have done or wanted, but it felt right to Billy. It didn't sit well with him that Jonathan and Nancy were able to continue with their little lives while Steve was so trapped and alone.

Before Billy could say anything more, Joyce had a hand on his bicep and was leading him away towards the kitchen.

“May I speak with you privately?” It was phrased like a question, but with the firm hand already moving him away from her son, Billy knew it was only for show. He felt like he was about to be scolded.

By the time they found themselves in Joyce's quiet kitchen, Billy was already formulating an apology. Which was something he wasn't used to offering, but he liked Joyce. And in a small quiet place in the depths of his heart, Billy desperately needed Joyce to like him too.

“Listen I'm sorry for-”

“-I need to talk to you about Steve.”

Billy stared confused at Joyce. “What?”

Joyce's eyes were deep with worry and she had one of her hands pressed against her forehead. “Hopper doesn't think it's a good idea but he's an alpha-no offence-so he doesn't really understand what heats are like when you're not bound to anyone…”

“Wait, sorry,” Billy held up a hand, “what's going on?”

Joyce sat down heavily in one of her kitchen chairs and sighed. Her head fell into her hands in exhaustion.

Billy slowly sat down next to her and waited. His own hands were clasped together, unsure of what to do or how to make Joyce feel better.

Eventually Joyce spoke. “Heats usually occur twice a year for omegas once they've presented. But since Steve's parents… since they sold him so young his body's never had a chance to process and experience a normal heat.”

Billy nodded along quietly as Joyce continued. His knowledge of heat cycles barely extended beyond what was taught in school.

“So now that his body finally has the chance to go into heat, it's like it's making up for lost time. Roughly six years worth of missed heats all compressed into one cycle. It's going to be incredibly difficult for Steve. And we can’t take him to a specialist or get any kind of medication that might help since Brenner's going to be looking for him.”

Understanding slowly began to dawn on Billy. “What can I do to help?”

Joyce smiled sadly. She reached out and gently brushed her fingers against Billy's face. It was a comfortingly maternal gesture that he was completely unfamiliar with.

“All of this, his heat cycle beginning once the collar was removed, happened because he wanted you.”

And there it was. The simple yet unavoidable truth Billy had been skirting around for the past 24 hours. He was just too nervous to bring it up himself.

Steve might have chosen Billy, but he was now surrounded by people who knew and cared about him a lot longer than Billy had.

“So… if Steve and I bonded, like he wanted back at Brenner's…”

Joyce nodded. “It would make his heat a lot easier on him.”

Billy looked down at his hands that were still clasped together. They felt so heavy. But deep in his heart there was a flicker of hope. Like a candle on a cold night, fighting to stay lit.

He was ashamed of how badly he wanted this. He wanted to be with Steve since the night they shared a bed together. Billy wanted to be everything for Steve, to hold and protect him from the rest of the world. To shield him from anything else that might harm Steve's already scarred existence.

But Billy wasn't sure he deserved it. Any of it.

What had he done besides stand on the sidelines and allow Steve, Carol, and all the other omegas downstairs to get hurt for money.

What had he done in his miserable life to deserve someone like Steve?

Sensing the tension, Joyce rested a hand on his tightly-closed fists.

“If you don't want to… Billy I would never expect you to do anything you didn't want to d-”

“-No, I want to.” Billy started. “I really care about Steve and want to help but…”

He was at a loss for words. But what?

How could he explain everything he was feeling and worrying over?

Slowly Billy met Joyce's eyes. Eyes that held so much hope and understanding. He was safe with those eyes.

“Can I see him?”

There was a moment where he could see Joyce considering that request, but eventually she nodded.

* * *

 

Billy wasn't sure what he was expecting the room to look like. It wasn't anything like the isolation chamber back at the medical wing. But then again Joyce and Hopper didn't have the same kind of resources.

It was certainly more cozy though.  Joyce had used one of her spare bedrooms and padded the walls with layers upon layers of material and stuffing to filter Steve's scent. Billy didn't even smell the omega until he walked through the bedroom door. It was only then that he was hit by the aroma of sweet milk and honey peppered with hints of lavender.

Steve was curled up in a nest of blankets on a mattress that was pushed up against a wall. His breathing was ragged and sweat had plastered his soft hair against his forehead.

Billy could feel Joyce's eyes follow him as he walked across the room and leaned over the omega's bed. “Steve?”

Immediately, deep brown eyes snapped open and Steve was sitting upright, fixated on the alpha before him.

Billy tried to ignore the way Steve's sweat soaked shirt clung to his body. It was a marvel Steve had kept any clothes on at all. Most omegas found clothing distracting or even irritating during their heats.

Billy could feel himself salivating as Steve's scent surrounded him. Billy's eyes traveled along Steve's throat until his eyes landed on his scent gland. That delicate pulse point that could bond them together forever.

“Billy?”

Steve's soft voice brought him back. His eyes were clouded over with want and desperation.

Billy cleared his throat, bunching his hands up in the bedsheets so as not to reach out and touch the other man.

"Steve, Joyce said… she said you're in a lot of pain right now,” Billy was surprised by the undeniably annoyed huff that escaped Steve's lips. Steve might not have had the energy to properly communicate, but the message _no shit_ came through loud and clear.

Billy continued with a smile. “But she said I could help you. That it would be easier if we…”

Steve stilled, almost becoming statuesque as he listened to Billy.

“She only suggested it because back at… well, back _there_ it seemed like you wanted this too.”

Billy cautiously reached out and rested a hand close to Steve's own, still not touching. “But I wanted to talk to you first. To make sure…”

_To make sure you wanted me._

Billy couldn't voice those final words. His throat was thick with anxiety and hope, and it felt like speaking anymore would ruin everything.

He looked up. Steve was smiling, but there were unshed tears in his eyes. Billy couldn't imagine the emotional and physical toll that these past years had taken on him.

This was too much. It was all too much for Steve right now. He must be so exhausted.

As Billy opened his mouth to apologize and vocalize all this, Steve lifted a hand.

The room's other two inhabitants froze as Steve reached a shaky hand out toward Billy.

Billy didn't know what to do. He felt like a deer in the headlights as Steve's fingers traveled until they were pressed gently against his chest. His shirt had become unbuttoned at some point while he was sleeping, and Steve's fingered were hot against his skin.

Billy unconsciously leaned forward into the touch, his breath hitching as he imagined kissing Steve's slightly parted lips.

It felt so right. It felt like some puzzle piece in Billy's chest had finally slid into place.

Then with as much energy as Steve could muster within his delicate fingers, he pushed Billy away.


	10. Welcome to Hawkins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy was just beginning to settle into his new routine when a decision from Hopper turns his life upside down again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back! Thank you all for your patience and your wonderful support! I can't begin explain how happy it makes me when I get a notification that someone commented on this story! I can't wait to hear what you thought about this chapter!

Billy could still feel the push of Steve's fingers burning into his skin hours after Joyce had guided him out of the omega's room.

It seemed to be the only thing he _could_ feel. Not the sofa he was sitting on, not the mug of tea cupped in his hands, not even Joyce's comforting hand on his shoulder or her whispered apology as she disappeared to look after Steve again.

Steve, who would go through his heat alone and unbonded. Steve, who pushed Billy away when he finally had a safe opportunity to do so.

Billy gripped the mug tighter in his hands.

He felt… betrayed somehow, and he knew he had no right to feel that way. Steve wasn't his. They never talked about bonding. The only thing they had shared was chemistry. At least, Billy thought they had. He’d felt it so clearly in that hotel room, maybe Billy had only convinced himself that Steve felt it too.

“Hey.” Hopper clapped a hand on Billy's shoulder and sat down next to him. 

They didn't say anything else for a time. Which was fine because Billy wasn't really in the mood to talk, and Hopper was clearly not adept in the role of comforting young heart-broken alphas.

“Listen…” But whatever sage wisdom Hopper was about to offer was interrupted as Tommy and Carol came stumbling up from the basement.

Well, more like _Tommy_ stumbled up the stairs while half-carrying Carol in his arms. From the hooded and heavily dilated look in her eyes, Carol was in the early stages of her heat.

“Can we go back to my place?” Tommy asked. “Will we be okay?”

Billy swallowed down his jealousy as he watched Carol press as much of herself against Tommy as possible. His fingers itched to hold someone, _to hold Steve_ , like that.

Hopper sighed and rose from the couch. “I'll drive you there. As long as you don't leave the apartment you'll be fine.”

“Oh you don't have to worry about that!” Tommy grinned and squeezed Carol tighter to his chest.

Carol smiled back and nuzzled against Tommy's chest. She was in that heat faze where she was just barely aware of her surroundings, but when Carol’s eyes landed on Billy, she straightened up.

“Billy.” Carol pushed off Tommy and stumbled towards the couch. “Thank you so much for… for everything.”

Billy smiled faintly. “Don’t mention it.”

She gave a dopey grin, but her smile quickly faded. “Wait, why aren't you with Steve?”

Billy set down his mug and stood, shaking his head. “He didn't want me.”

Carol's face scrunched up in confusion. “Why would he… But he likes you.”

A part of him was curious about what kind of stuff Steve had told Carol for her to come to that conclusion. But he kept that thought to himself. There was no point in knowing when it just wasn't true.

“Now that he's free from Brenner he probably wants to see what else is out there. No reason to stick with me when--”

“No.” Carol interrupted, shaking her head and swaying on her feet. “But he _really_ likes you.”

Tommy appeared behind Carol and placed a hand on her waist to steady her. “Babe, we should get going.”

Carol leaned into his touch and let Tommy begin to guide her back towards the front door. But suddenly Carol spun around again, almost toppling herself in the process, and turned back to Billy. 

“I grabbed this before we left.” She stuffed her hand inside her pocket and pulled out a wallet. Frank's wallet. “Figured we could use the money or something. But it might help you too.”

Carol let her words hang for a moment as Billy slowly opened the leather pouch. His throat tightened when he saw the photographs were still there. The ones Frank had been so proud to show off.

“Listen Billy,” Carol whispered so only they could hear, “Steve's been through a lot. And he doesn't like to talk about it, but I think he's scared. As much as he may try to push away, he needs us. He needs you.”

Carol stood on her toes and gave Billy a hug before turning to follow Tommy out the door. As the young couple disappeared, Hopper hung back.

“You can stay here as long as you need. But if you want to leave we won't stop you either.”

Billy looked down at the wallet in his hands. The cash inside was more than Billy had in his own. And considering Brenner would most likely be monitoring their bank accounts, it was the _only_ money he had.

Billy had nothing. He had nowhere else to go. And there wasn't anywhere he _wanted_ to go.

His hand squeezed the leather wallet tight. “What can I do to help?”

Hopper's shoulders relaxed. “Nothing tonight, but I could use some help moving the other omegas tomorrow. We've got a place they can stay until things cool down. But you should get some rest.”

Billy sat back onto the couch after Hopper closed the door behind him. He was almost too exhausted to sleep, and his mind was working overtime trying to process everything that had happened within the past 24 hours.

Hesitantly, he laid down on the couch, listening to the house settle around him.

Billy could have sworn he heard Steve whispering his name.  But it had to be his imagination.

* * *

 

Days passed, and Billy found himself falling in step with the Hopper, Joyce, and the rest of their family. He didn't see the kids all that often since Joyce wanted them to steer clear until Steve's heat was finished. But even from their brief interactions, Billy had developed a soft spot for them.

For the most part he spent time with Hopper and ran errands for Joyce while she was busy taking care of Steve.

Steve.

Billy hadn't seen him since that first night, and time did nothing to quell the ache in his chest whenever he thought about the omega.

He'd decided the best course of action was to give Steve space once his heat was over. It was probably what he wanted anyway.

At least, that was the _plan._

A perfectly fine plan that Billy was willing to hold himself to until Hopper decided to step in.

“I'm sorry, what?” Billy crossed his arms over his chest and glared up at the taller alpha.

Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Kid-”

“No don't ‘kid’ me! You know this isn't fair.”

Hopper's shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I do. And I'm sorry. If there was any other option I'd take it but…”

“But there isn't.” Billy finally finished, his own shoulders sagging in defeat. There was no point in getting mad at Hopper.

They'd been under a great deal of stress trying to stay under the radar. Nancy was close to publishing all her findings on both Brenner and Lutsk, but she needed more time.

The safest thing for all of them was for Steve to get as far away as possible.

Hopper had a cabin in the woods of some middle-of-nowhere town in Indiana. The plan was to hide Steve there until Nancy's exposé was published and things had calmed down.

But he couldn't go alone.

And Joyce had the kids, and Hopper had Joyce.

Which left Billy, who had no one.

* * *

 

Steve's heat was due to finish in a day or so, which gave Billy plenty of time to slip back to his old apartment and grab whatever he needed. Despite that, he'd waited until the last day to return to his previous lodging. He told himself it was because he was postponing the tedious chore, but deep down he knew he was trying to stave off the inevitable.

Packing was a pathetically easy task, if Billy was being honest with himself. The only things he grabbed were clothes, a few books, and two photographs. One of him and his mom when he was little, and one of Max. Everything else was insignificant.

Billy used to imagine what it must feel like to _belong_ somewhere and to have things that belonged to you. Most of his life had been so mobile with Neil it never made sense to grow roots or get attached.

Owning next to nothing made it easy to start over someplace new. But it also made Billy feel so empty and inadequate when he compared himself to other people. People who had photo albums, childhood trinkets, or anything that's purpose extended beyond necessity.

Hopper's eyes settled on the single bag slung over Billy's shoulder when the younger alpha returned. He'd been smoking by his car, waiting for Billy to get back. “That it?”

Billy tucked his bag under the front passenger's seat of Hopper's truck. “Yeah, that's it.”

Hopper nodded in understanding before offering Billy his cigarette.

Normally Billy didn't like Jim's cigarettes. He smoked them without filters and the tobacco always got stuck in Billy's teeth. But right now he needed the nicotine. 

“Joyce is getting Steve ready.” Hopper explained as Billy took the cigarette from his hand. “You gonna be okay?”

At first he didn't say anything. Billy just closed his eyes and took a long pull from the cigarette.

“You know when he tried to submit to me back in the isolation unit,” Billy began, “I thought it proved something. That all those things Frank had said, tried to convince me of, weren’t true. That Steve wasn’t using or manipulating me just to escape.”

Billy sighed and opened his eyes. “But now…”

He gave a long exhale. Smoke blew from his lips and momentarily surrounded Billy in a comforting shroud, blocking his vision of the rest of the world. 

But after the cloud dissipated, everything was still there.

Neither of them spoke for a while. Normally silence bothered Billy, but he'd come to appreciate the stoic but understanding quiet that filled most of his time with Hopper.

“You know I appreciate you sticking around. After everything…” Hopper trailed off.

Billy nodded. He had been a stranger to these people at best when he first arrived. At worst he was a jailer and co-conspirator alongside the likes of Brenner and Frank. But he'd had time to change their opinion of him. He wasn't just some rut-hungry alpha looking to take advantage of Steve. Billy cared about him, and wanted what was best for him, even if his own happiness didn't factor into that equation.

Both Billy and Hopper looked up as the front door opened. Joyce lead Steve down the porch steps and across the driveway to Hopper's car.

It was the first time Billy had seen Steve since that night, and his heart leapt to his throat at just the sight on him.

Steve was dressed in a thick dark green sweater and was clutching a duffel-bag to his chest. As he got closer, Billy could tell Steve had lost some weight, and was clearly still exhausted after just coming out of his heat, but he was still just as breathtaking.

While Joyce and Hopper busied themselves with packing up the truck with food and supplies, Billy and Steve were left standing awkwardly beside the vehicle.

“Hey.” Steve finally said, suddenly incredibly fascinated by the grass between his feet.

“Hey.” Billy responded, soaking in every detail he could while the brunet wasn't looking, somewhat disappointed that this was how their first conversation was going since last they spoke.

“Sorry about… About what happened last week.” Steve's hair fell in front of his face, keeping Billy from being able to decipher his expression or the feelings behind it.

He wasn't sure is Steve meant ‘Sorry for going into heat’ or ‘Sorry for pushing you away.’ He could be apologizing for both.

“It’s fine.” Billy said, even though it wasn’t. He wasn’t going to be the one to push this. If trying to go back to normal meant pretending none of that happened, he could handle it. He _needed_ to be able to handle it.

Billy's eyes eventually trailed to the small bag now at Steve's side. “Do you need me to grab anything else for you?”

Steve tried to give a nonchalant shrug but couldn't quite hide the awkward stiffness in the gesture. “Nah, this is it.”

Blue eyes met brown as Billy recognized the same lost and empty feeling in Steve's expression.

“That's okay,” Billy smiled gently and took the bag from Steve's grasp, “It can fit under the front seat with mine.”

Something akin to relief and gratitude briefly flashed in Steve's eyes before he looked down again. “Joyce said you'd be staying with me up at the cabin. If you don't want to I'd probably be fine on my own--” 

“No, no.” Billy interrupted Steve’s rushed words. “I want to… I don't mind.”

Tension gradually left Steve's shoulders as the brunet nodded. He looked up again and met Billy's eyes. Neither of them said anything. Neither of them dared.

Just as Steve opened his mouth Hopper called out from the back of the truck that they were ready to go.

Steve hesitated, as if he was going to say something, then opted instead to smile at Billy before pulling open the car door.

Billy sighed and began to walk towards the front of the car, already tired before their long drive even began.

But as he thought about Steve and his meager collection of belongings, Billy felt less alone. 

* * *

 

The drive up to the cabin was completely uneventful. Steve slept in a pile of blankets in the back seat, and Billy and Hopper listened to music as the hours turned buildings into houses, which then turned to empty fields and trees, and eventually turned back into houses again.

Hawkins Indiana wasn’t a big enough town for buildings. In fact, Billy was pretty sure there wasn’t a single establishment that rose above three stories. 

As the roads became less smooth and full of potholes, Steve stirred awake. Billy couldn’t help but smile as he watched from the rear-view mirror as Steve sat up and blinked owlishly at his surroundings. His hair was disheveled and poking out in different directions as Steve shifted and looked out the window. 

It seemed as if a more relaxed side of Steve continued to emerge the further they got away from the city, and Billy wondered if he was catching glimpses of the person Steve must have been before Brenner.

Steve gasped suddenly and pressed his hands against the car window, staring intently outside. Billy and Hopper glanced over their shoulders to follow Steve’s gaze toward a burger shop.

Steve looked up towards the front, his eyes somehow even bigger and brighter than before.

Hopper made eye contact with Steve in the rear-view mirror. “We have food at the cabin.” 

“Please?” Steve whined.

Billy looked between the two before leaning into Hopper. “I mean, when was the last time do you think he’s had a burger?”

Hopper glanced from him then back to Steve’s hopeful face. Billy could see Hopper mentally doing the math.

“Christ…” He eventually shook his head, but Billy could tell he was fighting a smile as he pulled into the drive through.

Ten minutes and three burgers later, they were pulling up in front of Hopper’s cabin.

Steve clutched a bag containing his second burger to his chest as he and Billy stepped out of the car. Neither of them moved to approach their new lodging.

“Come on you two.” Hopper called and threw their respective duffel bags at the younger men.

To Billy’s surprise, Steve caught his bag with ease. The action seemed to unlock another part of the omega, as Steve began grabbing supplies from the car and carrying them towards the house.

Joyce had been a nurturing soul, and handled Steve as such. He was allowed to be fragile with her. But it seemed to be Hopper’s job to help build him back up again.

Billy followed Steve and Hopper as he grabbed his bag and followed them into the cabin.

It was surprisingly spacious, with a separate living and eating space along with two separate bedrooms. Steve quickly claimed one room and busied himself making the space as cozy as possible with the extra blankets and pillows they brought.

Billy watched for a moment before he caught himself. It was too easy to imagine what it’d be like to pull Steve into that bed and just hold him, burrow his nose in his soft hair and commit his scent to memory. 

But that wasn’t what Billy was here for, and thinking about it would only make its absence hurt more.  
“Hey kid,” Hopper came up behind Billy and put a hand on his shoulder. “come here a minute.”

He led him away to the bathroom where the sink was already lined with various soaps and supplies. Hopper tugged open the mirror cabinet to reveal small orange pill bottles. 

He pointed to one. “This is to regulate Steve’s heat and make sure we’re not taken by surprise again.”

_ To make sure Billy doesn’t accidentally send Steve into another heat _ , he meant.

“And this one,” Hopper pointed to the other, “is to make sure you don’t go into a rut.”

Billy felt his ears burning with embarrassment. It was like he was receiving the puberty talk all over again. And judging from the way that Hopper was grinding his teeth and shifting on his feet, this conversation was mutually uncomfortable for the both of them.

“Make sure both of you take your meds every day. Understand?”

Billy nodded quickly, desperately trying to avoid looking at the offending pill canisters.

“Alright.” Hopper nodded back and squeezed Billy’s shoulder before leaving the cramped space. “I’m going to say goodbye to Steve. You settle in and familiarize yourself with the place.”

Billy’s chest tightened at that thought. The reality was beginning to set in that this was going to be their home for the foreseeable future.

The cabin was bigger than Billy had expected, but he knew that extra space would quickly disappear the longer he and Steve were stuck here.

Billy busied himself with putting away food in the kitchen. Most of the supplies consisted of vegetables, frozen food, and bags of rice. Things that could tide them over until Hopper returned with more supplies. There were a few boxes of frozen waffles that Billy suspected that the kids slipped in for them.

Once the food was put away, Billy wandered into the living room. There was an old TV and some DVDs that Hopper must have collected over the years. Most of them were old westerns or crime thrillers with the exception of a DVD of Little Women.

Billy quickly shoved the movies back into their original shelf as Hopper exited from Steve’s room with the omega trailing behind.

The two boys said nothing as they followed Hopper out to his truck and watched him drive away, leaving them with nothing except each other and the sound of the surrounding woods.

Steve was shivering despite the sweater he was wearing, but he seemed hesitant to go back inside. His wide eyes kept darting from tree to tree and up towards the sky every time a bird or squirrel called from above.

“No one’s going to find us out here if that’s what you’re worried about.” Billy offered, crossing his own arms against the cold.

Steve’s eyes darted to Billy and for a moment he stopped shivering. “Sorry, I was just… thinking.”

“About what?

Without breaking eye contact, Steve stepped closer to Billy. Bordering along the alpha’s personal space, Steve opened his mouth again, like he’d done earlier before their trip to Hawkins began. But just like before, his mouth snapped shut again.

“Nothing.” Steve finally said as he began to walk away. And Billy could have sworn that the omega briefly glanced at his lips before fully turning back to the house.

Billy tried to ignore the way Steve flinched as he inhaled sharply. He’d begun to smell strongly of lavender again, and that bothered Billy after what Joyce had told him about Frank. What did Steve have to be afraid of?

_ Was he still afraid of me? _ Billy thought to himself.

“Steve?” Billy watched as Steve turned back around to stare at him. There was a spark of hope in those dark eyes that took him by surprise.

His original question was suddenly stuck in Billy’s throat. He didn’t need to weigh Steve down with his own fears. This was supposed to be a safe place for the both of them to finally relax.

Steve was still staring curiously as Billy cleared his throat. “Do you want to watch a movie or something? We could make some waffles...”

There was a brief pause as Steve stared for a moment, and Billy felt as if he’d somehow said the wrong thing.

But then Steve slowly began to smile. It reminded Billy of a sunrise. “That sounds really nice.”

Billy sighed in relief and followed the omega inside. 

It was an oddly comforting evening. Steve flipped through Hopper’s DVD collection while Billy made them dinner. They’d settled on a western, but Billy quickly found himself struggling to stay awake. The long drive was finally catching up to him. Steve was already passed out beside him, curled into a ball with the remainder of a waffle clutched under his chin.

Billy considered moving him to his bed but decided against it. Steve had years of sleep to catch up on, and Billy wasn’t about to interrupt that. He opted instead to tuck a flannel blanket over Steve’s slumbering form and brush the loose strands of hair out of the omega’s eyes. 

Billy fought the urge to press a soft kiss to Steve’s temple. It wouldn’t have hurt anyone, but it wouldn’t have been fair either.

As he finally collapsed into his own bed Billy glanced around the room, taking in all the empty shelves and blank walls. 

As his mind drifted off to sleep, he thought back to his and Steve’s sparse belongings.

They were both restarting their lives with next to nothing. Maybe they weren't destined to be mates. But hopefully at the very least they could be friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they were roommates...


	11. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy tries to help Steve forget the past that haunts him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mea culpa mea culpa mea maxima culpa! It has been way too long between updates.  
> You guys have been so patient with me so I made sure to make this chapter a little longer to make up for my absence.  
> My mom was in the hospital last week receiving spinal surgery, and it didn't go as smoothly as the doctors hoped. She ended up needing a 2nd surgery to fix a mistake, and it's taken a lot out of her. Taking care of my mom has consumed the majority of my free time, and with two jobs on top of that, I really didn't have a lot of time to write.  
> But she's slowly getting better, so hopefully I'll have a little more time finish this fic!  
> Thank you again for your patience! I hope you like this chapter.

The sound of birds slowly pulled Billy from his deep sleep. He sighed and stretched in his bed, only to groan and hide back under the covers away from the morning chill that pricked against his skin.

Why was it so fucking cold?

Billy squinted open his eyes as that question drew more into focus.

Cautiously, he sat up in bed. The cold slowly being replaced with dread.

The cabin was completely silent, which didn’t necessarily mean anything bad, but Billy still found himself shrugging on a fleece jacket and entering the living room.

Steve wasn't on the couch anymore. Which again, wasn't a bad sign. He could have just moved to his own room sometime in the night.

And yet...

“Steve?” Billy whispered, tapping against the omega's bedroom door. The last thing he wanted was to wake Steve up, but at this point Billy needed to see the other man for his own peace of mind. Billy would apologize for disturbing him and make breakfast as an apology.

Except Steve didn't answer. And when his bedroom door opened, Billy was met with an empty room and an open window.

The chilled wind drifted in through the opening and momentarily froze Billy in place.

Oh. My. God.

He lost Steve.

Before Billy completely thought through the practicality of his actions, he was climbing out the bedroom window and running into the surrounding forest.

“Steve?” He called out, but only the sounds of birds responded.

Billy continued to run. He imagined all the terrible things Hopper would do to him if he found out Steve disappeared on his watch, within the first 24 hours of their time at the safe house no less.

He imagined the look of disappointment on Joyce’s face and, ooh… Somehow that was so much worse than anything Hopper could do.

Billy leaned against a tree, panting as he tried to regain his sense of direction. He was no use to anyone lost in the woods.

As the crisp morning air filled Billy’s lungs, he caught scent of something familiar.

Lavender.

Not as strong as before, and a little more on the sweet side, but it was definitely Steve’s scent.

Billy kicked himself for not thinking to simply track Steve earlier.

The scent grew in strength until Billy found himself in a small clearing. He searched along the tree line but didn’t see Steve anywhere.

Then his gaze drifted downwards.

Steve was lying flat on his back in the middle on the clearing.

“Steve!” Billy didn’t wait for a response before he was running and falling to his knees next to Steve’s prone form.

He felt cold against Billy’s palms as he placed both hands on either side of his face and shook gently. Too frightened to even think about feeling for a pulse or watching for any other signs of life.

Dark brown eyes snapped open and Steve had the audacity to look confused. “Billy? What are you doing here?”

“What am I--?” Billy didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or scream. He settled for landing his hands on Steve’s shoulders. “You disappeared!”

Billy didn’t notice the rising panic in Steve’s eyes as his grip tightened. “It’s my job to look out for you and the minute I turn my back, you crawl out a goddamn window!”

He didn’t hear how Steve’s voice was tinged with desperation as he whispered ‘ _Get off me_ ,’ ‘ _Please_ ,’ and ‘ _Don’t touch me_ ’ over and over again until they blended into a litany of barely comprehensible sounds.

The only thing Billy could hear was the blood pumping in his ears. “Do you want to get away from me so bad that you’d rather die in the woods than-”

“-I said get off me!” Steve finally screamed and kicked him hard in the stomach.

Billy fell back and watched as Steve scrambled until his back was pressed up against a tree, his eyes bright with fear.

“Steve…” Billy whispered, reaching out a hand as if he could touch him from across the vast distance that the omega had put between them. “I didn't...”

 _Didn't what?_ Billy let his hand fall.

Didn't mean to get so angry? Because that wasn't true. He was angry, just not at Steve. Not really.

But he had taken it out on Steve, the one person who didn't deserve any of it. It was something that Neil would have done. And that frightened Billy.

“Christ Steve…” Billy finally said, “I was scared.” The words felt thick in his throat. He wasn’t used to admitting when he was afraid. But it was more than that. He was terrified.

Terrified that after all they’d been through, Billy could lose Steve to something like hypothermia. Terrified that Steve hated him so much that he’d leave without even giving him a chance.

“ _You_ were scared?” Steve laughed breathlessly.

He shakily rose to his feet. “I’ve been scared for almost six years of my fucking life!”

The dirt smudged on his face and the foliage sticking out of Steve's hair only added to the crazed look in his eyes as he advanced on Billy.

“I was used in ways you can’t even imagine and for once in a very long time I just wanted to _be._ To just breathe without anyone else watching, wanting, or touching me.”

Steve shuddered and shook his head. “I just wanted to be alone.”

Billy looked down at the damp earth beneath his knees. “I'm sorry.”

That apology felt small and completely inadequate compared to what Steve deserved.

Steve eventually huffed and sat back down, resting his forehead against his knees and effectively hiding his face. “You don't have to apologize.”

“Yeah well, someone should.”

Silence permeated the woods as Steve's breathing calmed.

Billy wanted to reach out and comfort Steve, but at this point he didn’t think even that was welcome or wanted.

“I’m going back to the cabin to make breakfast. Come back whenever you’re ready.” Billy rose from the ground and retraced his steps until he was crawling back through Steve’s bedroom window. He never once looked back to see if Steve was following him. He just had to trust.

* * *

 

Steve came back through the same window a short while later.

They didn’t speak, but they didn't really ignore each other either. While Billy finished cooking, Steve cleared and set the table. It wasn't until their plates were set in front of them that Steve spoke.

“They never let us go outside.”

Billy didn't have to ask who ‘they’ were. He just waited for Steve to continue, afraid of overstepping or accidentally smothering whatever courage it took for Steve to share.

“While… while I was _there_ , I had no control over what I did, where I went, or even what I ate.”

Steve rubbed at his eyes as he rested his elbows on the table. “Christ, every week they'd take us to some room and made sure we were clean and shaved smooth for the clients.”

His hands remained pressed against his eyes. “For six years of my life I wasn't in control of my own life, my own body Billy. It felt like I was inhabiting some object. I had no say in who touched me or how they…”

Steve's voice sounded thicker with every word until it seemed as if his throat has closed around his own words, incapable or refusing to utter anything more.

Billy was just about to speak when Steve finally dropped his hands and met his gaze.

“And then I met you. You cared about me, about Carol. You treated us like people.”

“I should have done more,” Billy shook his head, “done something sooner...”

Steve stared at him intently before signing and leaning back in his chair.

“Yeah. Yeah you should have. But you did eventually. We’d had other security guards in the past. But none of them thought to do anything.”

Billy swallowed. Steve wasn’t letting him off the hook, and he shouldn’t have to. It’s never the victim's responsibility to make everyone else feel better.

He turned his gaze down to the still-steaming plate of food in front of him. He’d made spinach omelets and toast, wanting to make something healthy. It seemed like the responsible thing to do at the time. But maybe that wasn’t what Steve needed right now.

“Was there ever anything you wanted to eat while you were there, but couldn’t?”

Steve threw his head back and groaned. “ _Everything!_ ”

His voice had a lighter tone now, almost reminiscent of a teenager, as he began listing all the things he’d craved.

“Pizza, hamburgers, a chicken quesadilla, French fries, a milkshake…”

The list went on a lot longer than that, but Billy got the gist. Comfort food.

An idea began to form in Billy’s head, and he began making a mental list of ingredients to ask Hopper for on his next visit.

* * *

 

The sound of Steve closing the window behind him was Billy’s proverbial starting pistol. He didn’t bother getting dressed, there was too much to do and not enough time.

Billy started with making a dough. The yeast would need about an hour to rise, and Billy could peel the potatoes and start on the sauce while he waited. Hopper had been kind enough to deliver everything he needed and then some.

In a matter of minutes his pristine kitchen was smattered with batter and flour, and it was only going to get better. There was still chicken to season and cheese to grate.

After a couple hours, Billy's chest and boxers were speckled with flour, and there were potato peelings on the floor that left a starchy residue on whatever they touched. But he didn’t care. He was almost done. Cleaning could come later.

“Billy?” Steve's voice sounded from over his shoulder. He must have just gotten back. Steve was staring in confusion at the mess that covered every available counter space.

Billy spun around, pot-holders fitting him like oversized mittens. “Steve!”

Steve took a curious step closer. “What's going on? why are you just in your boxers…?” He stopped again when he caught a whiff of whatever was in the oven. His eyes widened with interest. “And what's that smell--?”

“Hold on,” Billy got between Steve and the kitchen, “this was supposed to be a surprise, and I'm so close to being done. Can you just…”

Steve followed Billy's arm gesture. He turned back to face him with a quizzical look. “You want me to hide in my room?”

Billy nodded and stepped closer to heard Steve away. “I don't want you to see anything just yet.”

“What? Are you going to wrap it or something?” Steve smiled and reached out, absently tracing a pattern into Billy's chest.

That gesture distracted Billy enough for  Steve to sneak a glance over his shoulder.

“Ah!” Billy help up his hands to block the view. “You can see everything _once I'm done_!”

“Fine.” Steve took on the air of a petulant child before dramatically turning and retreating to his bedroom. “But I'm not closing the door!”

“Thank you!” Billy called over his shoulder and made quick work of both cleaning and setting the table.

It wasn't until he remembered the flour that coated his own body that Billy darted into his own room to dress. His bottom half was clean for the most part, but when Billy glanced at himself in the mirror, he was caught off guard by two things. One, flour freckled just about every inch of his body to varying degrees. Two, there was a small smiley face traced in flour above his heart.

Billy smiled. He almost didn't want to brush it off, but the flour had to go, and he had to get dressed. Steve was waiting.

Or Steve _should_ have been waiting.

“Hey!” Billy shouted once he caught sight of the omega hovering over the steaming food adorning the kitchen table.

Steve turned around with an impish, and entirely unapologetic grin, a single condemning French fry sticking out of his mouth.

Distantly, Billy was happy that Steve wasn't afraid of him, or afraid of disobeying rules anymore. But more presently, Billy was annoyed that his surprise was ruined.

“Sorry,” Steve said, swallowing down the rest of the fry he'd pilfered, “but in my defense you were taking forever.”

Billy shook his head with a smile. “Is it good?”

“Delicious. But what's the occasion?”

Clearing his throat, Billy moved to stand next to Steve. “You mentioned last month how there was all that food you never got to have while you were _there._ So I wanted to make some of it for you.”

Steve's eyes brightened with dawning realization as he scanned the table again, recognizing everything he’d craved and been denied.

“You did all this for me?”

Billy shrugged with feigned nonchalance as a blush crept up his neck. “I know how much it sucks for you to be stuck here. I wanted to do something nice.”

The blush had reached his ears now, but Steve was kind enough not to comment on it. Instead, he turned his attention back to the table. “Do you want to walk me through all this?”

Billy began happily pointing out each food item, talking through the finer details while Steve tasted and nibbled on pieces throughout.

“And this,” Billy gestured to a folded flat bread monstrosity, “is a chicken alfredo cheese pizza quesadilla. Which, I realize now is just a calzone. I really thought I was being creative there but…”

Billy didn’t have time to finish his sentence before Steve was chomping into the messy calzone.

His eyes rolled back in bliss as he leaned against the kitchen counter, supporting himself as he enjoyed the homemade meal.

Steve looked at Billy with happy-glazed eyes. “Marry me.”

Billy's heart leapt into his throat. He gave a high-pitched laugh, trying to conceal his surprise. “Wow, if I'd known it was _that_ easy…”

Steve rolled his eyes but took a step closer, temporarily setting down the calzone slice.

“Really Billy, thank you. I don't know how you did all this but--”

“Hopper helped me get all the ingredients. Oh, which reminds me...” Billy fished inside his pocket until he pulled out what he was looking for. “I asked him to get us another copy of the house key.”

Steve stared at the small piece of metal that Billy placed in his palm. It was the basic silver design that you could find in any department store. But with the way Steve looked at it, it might as well have been pure gold.

“Steve…?”

Steve’s fist closed around the key and clutched it to his chest. He looked up at Billy, eyes brimming with emotion. “You got me a key?”

Billy blinked in confusion. “Yeah, I figured it would be easier for you to go on your walks if you didn’t have to deal with crawling through windows and--”

Steve launched himself at Billy, wrapping his arms around his neck. The momentum knocked them into a wall.

“Thank you.” He whispered into Billy’s shoulder.

“It’s just a key…”

Steve pulled away and wiped at his eyes. “I know but…” He looked off into space, trying to find the right words and coming up short.

And that’s when Billy got it.

“...You haven’t been able to unlock anything in a long time.”

Steve turned back to Billy and nodded sadly. “Brenner didn't like the idea of us coming and going as we pleased.”

“Well then,” Billy handed Steve a plate, “we've got a lot to celebrate then don't we.”

With a grin, Steve pocketed his key and began heaping food onto his dish.

They ate anything and everything Billy had made, and were soon stretched out on the sofa, stomachs full and feeling content.

Steve slowly toppled to the side until he was leaning against Billy, resting his head on the other man's shoulder.

“I feel so gross.” Steve muttered not entirely unhappily as he patted his full stomach.

“You kind of look gross.” Billy teased, nodding in agreement.

Steve’s head snapped up, shock painted across his face at the fact that Billy hadn’t disagreed with him. Shock that quickly morphed into surprise as Billy kissed his own hand and then pressed it against Steve’s forehead.

Surprise melted into embarrassment and Steve ducked his head down, but Billy was still able to see the blushing smile that reddened his face.

Steve mumbled something into Billy’s shoulder.

“What was that?” Billy teased.

When he didn’t get a response, Billy leaned away from Steve to give him room. But Steve followed, and Billy found himself stretched along the sofa with Steve tucked into his side, face still pressed into Billy’s flannel shirt.

Eventually Steve looked up, resting his chin on Billy’s rising and falling chest. “What’s going to happen when we get to leave here?”

Billy’s chest suddenly felt very heavy, and it had nothing to do with Steve. “Oh…”

“--Because I don’t know if you have friends or a ma… or someone to go back to and you’ve been stuck here with me this whole time wishing you were somewhere else but--”

“Steve.” Billy hushed him by placing a gently hand at the nape of Steve’s neck, tangling into his hair.

The omega froze up, his eyes dilated. He looked like he wanted to both bolt from the room and melt into Billy’s palm all at once. The hand resting on Billy’s chest bunched up in a tight fist.

Billy slowly removed his hand, resting it on his own chest in Steve’s clear line of sight. “I’m right where I want to be.”

“Oh,” Steve exhaled. His shoulders began to relax, but his hand remained clenched.

Billy slowed his breathing, trying to stay as calm and still as possible so not to spook Steve again.

“Nothing’s changed for me since the hotel room.” Billy began, forcing himself to look Steve in the eye as they both remembered a night that now felt like a completely different life. “I still want to help. I still want to be with you.”

Steve’s hand began to slowly open, spreading onto Billy’s chest as he continued to speak.

“But if that’s not what you want, I won’t force you to stay.”

“Billy…”

Billy shook his head. “You don’t have to say anything. You can decide on your own time.”

Steve stared up at Billy with eyes full of emotion. Whatever barriers he had built up again were crumbling, allowing all his bottled-up feelings to wash over them both.

Fear, longing, frustration, want...

But the one that overpowered them all, were the strong glowing embers of hope.

Slowly, Steve leaned forward and rested his head on Billy’s chest, curling his body around Billy as best he could on the cramped sofa.

One soul understood another. And without needing to ask, Billy gently encircling Steve’s solid frame and let his hands roam and trace soothing circles into the omega’s skin.

Steve felt different since the last time they’d done this.

Faint signs of stubble scratched against Billy’s chest, and body hair had grown along Steve’s arms that had previously been shaved smooth. Even his lighter and more angular frame had filled out, now that his eating habits weren’t so strictly enforced.

It was like holding and touching a completely new person, and he loved it. Billy loved reintroducing himself to a truer version of the man he had fallen in love with.

Steve sat up slightly, so he could look Billy in the eye.

Need recognized need as Steve leaned forward and pressed his lips to Billy’s.

Their bodies rocked together, grinding and giving with a single mind.

Billy’s alpha instinct began to rise as he broke off the kiss to move his attention towards Steve’s exposed neck. He was met with no resistance. No collar keeping them apart anymore.

Dragging his tongue experimentally along Steve’s neck, Billy felt his eyes roll back in pleasure. The smells from their meal had faded away and he was becoming hyper-aware of the sweet aroma that seemed to only grow stronger. It was floral and sweet, like warm milk and honey with the softest hint of lavender untainted by fear.

 _Steve._ Billy realized. _He was tasting Steve._

“-taste so good...” Billy mouthed against Steve’s pulse. Pressing his nose as close as possible to his scent gland, wanting to drown in the omega’s smell forever.

And just as quickly as it had arrived, the taste turned bitter in Billy’s mouth. Lavender overpowered the other flavors, as if he were actually chewing on the violet buds.

Billy leaned back, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Steve?”

Steve was frozen in place. His eyes wide and trapped somewhere else altogether.

Slowly, Steve slid off Billy and onto the cold cabin floor, pressing his back against the couch. His back shuddered against something cold and unseen.

“Are you alright?” Billy reached out. “Did I do someth…”

Steve flinched away from Billy touch and wrapped his arms tight around himself.

What just happened?

Billy shared at Steve’s shivering back, completely lost as to how he could fix this.

Cautiously, he slid off the couch so he was sitting next to Steve. Close enough that Steve could reach for him if he wanted, but giving enough space that the omega didn’t feel caged in.

Staring resolutely ahead, Billy waited until Steve’s breathing began to even out. It didn’t matter how long it took, Billy would be there.

After what felt like forever, Steve’s arms eventually relaxed, one hand tentatively playing with a loose thread from his pants.

“Frank said that to me.” Steve finally spoke. It was the first time either of them had mentioned his name since they’d arrived at the cabin.

Billy glanced at Steve, confused. “He said what?”

Steve sniffed and looked anywhere but at Billy. “...About the way I tasted. He said the exact same thing and I know it’s dumb but when you said it I was suddenly back there and he was on top of me…”

“Steve…” Billy moved to reach, out but stopped himself. He didn’t want to cause any more damage. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” Steve’s throat tightened around every word.

Billy leaned forward, desperate to catch Steve’s gaze. As if looking at him would help Steve understand. “It’s not your fault either though.”

Steve let out a frustrated sob and finally met Billy’s stare. “But it’s not fair for you to have to deal with this! With me…” He gestured vaguely at himself.

Billy sighed and looked around the room. How did such a nice moment turn into such a mess?

The leftovers were getting cold in the kitchen. Leftovers that Billy had made to help Steve feel like he was free from the nightmare he’d been living. And it had worked, for a moment.

But Billy should have known better than to think he could wash away Steve’s trauma with a hot meal and some kindness.

This would take time, effort, and a lot of patience.

“Steve?” Billy didn’t continue until Steve was looking at his with his big sad eyes.

“I meant what I said about wanting to help. Whatever you need, however long it takes, I’m going to be right here.”

“But you shouldn’t have to be.” Steve’s lower lip trembled.

Billy sighed and scooched closer to Steve, considering it a small victory that the omega didn’t flinch away. Taking a moment to stare into his eyes, and giving Steve a chance to do the same, Billy quietly whispered. “It’s not that I have to, I want to be here with you.”

Tears tumbled down Steve’s face as he tried to smile. When he couldn’t quite succeed, he let his head fall onto Billy’s shoulder, as if willing Billy to understand him through physical contact alone.

And Billy did.

He felt the waves of exhaustion and desperation that came off Steve with every rise and fall of his chest. He understood that the tears shed were of both sorrow and gratitude. Billy felt the weight of everything that Steve had endured in the body that rested against his own strong frame.

Billy stayed there on the floor until Steve fell asleep. Long after the strong bitter smell of lavender turned into something a little softer. Billy tried his best not to disturb Steve as he carried him back to his own room.

But when he’d managed to tuck Steve in and turned to leave, a soft hand reached out to grasp his own.

“Stay?” Steve whispered into the dark, his eyes heavy with sleep.

Billy paused briefly before sliding under the covers next to Steve. It was a cold night, and they’d be warmer together, he rationalized.

It wasn’t long before Steve was curled into Billy’s side, limbs wrapped around the alpha like he was a life preserver amidst crashing waves. Billy eventually wrapped his own arms around Steve, holding the omega tight as if his body alone could protect Steve from the nightmares that still held him prisoner.

It became their nightly ritual. Two souls clinging to each other is a sea of darkness, until the bright morning sun found them again the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trust me, y'all are going to really love the next chapter.  
> But in the meantime PLEASE tell me what you liked about this chapter/what you've enjoyed so far.


	12. My Readers Earned This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has finally arrived. After 11 chapters of accidental slowburn (which I swear I did not intend for), they're finally gonna fuck.  
> But don't think for a moment I'm not gonna pack this full of feelings too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and being so patient waiting for this update and this specific point in the story.  
> This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoy it!

Billy wasn’t snooping, he really wasn’t.

It’s just that when you’ve spent months in a cramped cabin you can’t help but notice all the small details surrounding you. What changes, and more importantly, what hasn’t changed that should have.

Billy stared into the medicine cabinet, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He counted, and recounted, but he wasn’t imagining things.

“Steve?” Billy spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth before exiting the bathroom.

Steve still hadn’t come back from his walk yet.

Billy considered waiting, but the entire cabin was already immaculately spotless, and he knew he’d just end up pacing the floor until Steve got back anyway.

His shoes were barely on his feet before he was sprinting out the door.

It was a lot easier to track Steve compared to his first attempt. The omega had made a habit of brushing against trees or running his hands along the bushes when he went on his walks. After years with the collar and strong cocktails of suppression medications, Steve was ecstatic when his scent started to come back on its own. And he seemed to be making up for lost time by making sure almost everything he touched smelled like him.

“It’s just nice to be able to prove that I’m here.” Steve had once said.

Billy stopped at a pine tree and closed his eyes, separating the strong evergreen smell from Steve’s sweeter scent. He was going in the right direction.

The trail went dead ten minutes later.

Billy looked around the thickly wooded area. “Steve?”

No response.

The surrounding trees were older than the ones closer to town. Their timeless stillness seemed to slow everything else down. Billy closed his eyes and inhaled steadily. He exhaled through his mouth, the condensation billowing around him like smoke.

Billy smiled to himself just before strong warm arms encircled his torso and gave him a shove. Billy remained planted on his feet, as steady as the surrounding trees.

He could hear Steve huff and grunt as he pushed against Billy until he was practically leaning all his weight against the alpha.

“How do you keep doing that?” Steve complained, his voice muffled into his back.

Billy shrugged, feeling Steve move along with his shoulders. “Low center of gravity? Heightened sense of hearing and smell so I knew you were sneaking up on me? Take your pick.”

Steve gave an annoyed sigh before reaching his hand around to grab at one of Billy’s. “Good morning by the way.”

It really was a testament to how far they’d come that Steve wasn’t upset that Billy had followed him into the woods. That they could joke together in complete comfort right now.

Billy held Steve’s hand and used it to spin himself around almost like a waltz so he was facing the omega. He looked close at Steve. Closer than he had in the more recent weeks.

He had shaved and begun to style his hair again. And it had a healthy sheen to it that had been absent since they first arrived in Hawkins.

Steve was taking care of himself again, and not because anyone was forcing him. Because he wanted to.

“What are you looking at?” Steve smiled, obviously not minding the attention.

Billy smiled back and gave Steve’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You.”

Steve’s smile turned into something a little more playful. “Did you come all the way out here just to tell me how pretty I am?”

“I didn’t say pretty.” Billy rolled his eyes in amusement before remembering his original goal. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Steve sighed and pulled off the scarf that was previously around his neck, wrapping it instead around the alpha. “Was it so important that you left the cabin without even grabbing a jacket first?”

Billy only just now noticed he was missing a coat. Normally he’d care. He’d lived in California most of his life, and the cold Indiana weather did not agree with him. But even so, Billy could barely feel the morning chill prickling against his exposed arms. His mind was focused on something a little more pressing.

“You haven’t been taking your heat suppressants.”

Steve’s hands paused in the middle of adjusting the scarf around Billy’s neck.

“Oh.” He finally said, looking down.

Billy leaned down so he could meet Steve’s gaze. “Oh? Did you forget about them? The bottle’s still almost full...”

“I didn’t forget.” Steve shrugged. “I just haven’t been taking them.”

“Steve if you’re not taking them you could go into heat. You promised Hopper--”

“What if I want to go into heat?”

The only sound Billy heard were the birds and the wind blowing through the trees.

“Why?” Billy asked. Not daring to get his hopes up, just in case he was misinterpreting what Steve was suggesting.

Steve toyed with the key strung around his neck, deep in thought.

“When… when I pushed you away during my last heat, it wasn’t because I didn’t want you. I _did_ but... But I wanted to be sure you wanted me.”

“Steve…” Billy took a step forward.

Steve instinctively shifted on his feet, but he didn’t step back. “And it wasn’t just that…”

Billy stopped moving. He wanted Steve to have the chance to finish.

“I wanted to be able to choose you, Billy. I know I did back in the medical wing, but I wanted to be able to choose you outside of my heat. Outside of that place.”

He bit his lip so hard Billy was worried he was going to draw blood. “But I think I was afraid that you wouldn’t want me. After everything…”

“None of that matters Steve--”

“--It matters to me!” Steve snapped, taking a step back. “You don’t know what I’ve done. All the awful things that I…”

Billy looked down, shame weighing heavily on his chest. “...I do know Steve.”

“What?” Steve looked up at him, confusion and fear washing over his features.

“Not all the details. But… On my first week working _there_ , Frank showed me photos. Some he took while he was supposed to be watching you.”

At first, Steve flinched away at Frank’s name. But then a slow, awful realization dawned on his face as he remembered exactly when Frank had taken photos of him.

He paled in horror. “You saw…”

Billy shook his head. “Only briefly. Carol found the photos after they killed Frank. She and I got rid of them. They’re gone Steve. It’s all gone, you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Steve collapsed against a tree staring down at the dead earth at his feet. “But you _saw_. You _know._ Billy… god how can you even look at me after…”

Billy stepped closer to the omega. “Steve, it wasn’t your fault.”

He tilted Steve’s chin up, guiding him to look him in the eye. “What happened… None of that matters to me. It doesn’t change how I look at you. Or how I feel about you.”

Steve let out a soft whine and pulled away. “But it changed things for me.”

He looked desperately around the woods, anywhere but at Billy. “I can’t… Every time I think about _being_ with you, _wanting_ to be with you, I remember all those times I was forced to be with other people.”

Steve wrapped his arms around himself. “I can’t stand the feeling of someone being on top of me, holding me down, trying to mate with me. It reminds me of when I wasn’t in control of my own life.”

Finally, he looked back to Billy, meeting his gaze. “But I _want_ to be with you. I stopped taking the suppression pills so we could…”

He looked down again, thoughts shadowing his deep brown eyes. “My heat’s coming. I can feel it. I’m just still a little scared.”

The forest was quiet again, leaving Billy with only his thoughts.

Steve wanted him. Steve had always wanted him. But he was haunted by everything he’d experienced at the hands of cruel clients.

He was still trapped, and probably more than just a _little_ scared.

And Steve’s heat was coming. Soon, judging by how many pills were still in the bottle.

Billy felt excited, and then immediately guilty because of it.

Before he could even begin to think about finally mating with Steve, the omega needed to feel safe. In control.

“Steve?” Billy moved closer until he could hold Steve’s hand. He waited until the omega was looking him in the eye before he cupped Steve’s face and kissed him.  A kiss, an apology, a promise that no matter what Billy did for the rest of his life he would make sure Steve was alright.

Billy took a step back and stared into those deep honeyed eyes. “Do you trust me?”

It only took Steve a moment before he nodded.

* * *

 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Billy shrugged against the headboard. “I don’t have anything else on my schedule, do you?”

Steve snorted, but remained standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed.

Billy sat forward, his fingers absently toying with the cuffs of his pajama pants. “We don’t have to do this…”

“No, I want to. It’s a good idea I just…”

The headboard felt cool against Billy’s shoulders as he leaned back again. “Take all the time you need.”

Tension releases from Steve’s shoulders as the omega crawled onto the bed next to Billy. This was his day. His room. His rules. They’d do everything at his pace.

“Can you put your arms around me?” Steve asked, leaning into Billy’s side.

The alpha was more than willing to comply.

They remained in that position for a while, Steve occasionally reaching out to adjust Billy’s arms.

It felt unexpectedly relaxing for him. Just being there for Steve, letting him lead.

Eventually Steve stretched one of his legs across Billy so he was straddling him. Without speaking, he gently rested his hands on either side of Billy’s neck, his fingers tracing absent designs into his skin.

Steve leaned forward and pressed a kiss against the side of Billy’s temple before nuzzling into the alpha’s neck and hair.

Billy’s breath quickened as Steve’s ticklish movement. He let out a giggled sigh as Steve continued to nip and rub against his skin until Billy’s scent was almost overwhelmed by Steve’s.

Steve’s voice was practically a purr as he whispered against Billy’s ear. “Put your hands on my waist.”

Billy shivered in response. Although he wasn’t sure if it was in anticipation, or because of how good it felt to hear Steve give a command instead of a request.

His hands settled on Steve’s waist, his thumbs seeking out and rubbing along Steve’s hip bones.

He wanted to make Steve feel like this all the time. Confident, in control, and content.

Steve sighed into Billy’s nape, his arms wrapping around the alpha’s neck and holding him as close as humanly possible.

Then his hips began to move.

Slowly, teasingly, rubbing and grinding against Billy’s pelvis, creating a new kind of heat between the two of them that Billy almost thought they’d left the fire burning.

Billy groaned as his body responded to Steve’s. He could feel his dick twitching in appreciation every time Steve ground down on it, creating an addictive kind of friction.

And just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Billy opened his eyes. Steve was still wrapped around his neck, but he’d stopped moving.

He didn’t want to reach out or do anything that might spook Steve, in case something had triggered the omega’s ptsd again. Instead Billy slowly pulled his head back, trying to look into Steve’s eyes even though he knew that was impossible in their current position.

“Are you alright?”

When his question didn’t get an immediate response, Billy began to slide his hands from Steve’s waist.

His slow movement was met with one of Steve’s hands quickly darting from his neck and gripping Billy’s hand, keeping it in place.

Billy froze again as Steve leaned back. Their eyes met, and he was almost taken aback by the amount of happiness and peace that was reflecting in Steve’s gaze.

“I’m better than alright.” Steve pulled Billy’s hands back to their previous position. “I’m fucking amazing.”

Without further warning, Steve leaned forward and captured Billy’s mouth in a deep kiss. Steve’s tongue pressed against Billy’s lips, demanding access that the alpha was more than willing to give. His own tongue darted out and began to trace and explore Steve’s own mouth.

He’d been waiting so long for this.

Steve’s hips began moving again. Faster, more demanding and surer of himself this time. Sure, that if he wanted to stop, Billy would let him, but confident that neither of them were interested in slowing down anytime soon.

Steve broke away from the kiss long enough to push Billy down on his back, so they were no longer in a sitting position. Then he returned to his previous goal of making sure that he was the only thing that Billy could smell and taste.

One of Steve’s hands reached back blindly and grabbed at Billy’s hand, pushing it downward until it was resting along the curve of his ass. Steve obviously wasn’t willing to pause and give orders, but Billy still heard him loud and clear.

Billy’s hand ran along Steve’s back until they settled on squeezing and toying with Steve’s ass.

Billy’s could feel Steve’s own stiff members pressing into his stomach, leaving a trail of precum along their matching treasure trails with every grind and thrust of his hips.

“Can I…?” Billy gasped against Steve’s mouth, reaching between them with the intention of helping.

Again, the omega’s reflexes were faster. Steve gripped Billy’s free hand and directed it to the same task as Billy’s other. Billy didn’t complain. He cupped and groped Steve’s ass, admiring how firm it was, imagining what it would feel like to be inside of Steve.

Billy was almost sent over the edge as Steve reached between them and gripped both their dicks in one hand and gave a long steady stroke. He groaned into Steve’s mouth, almost going numb with how good everything felt.

Instead, Billy got to work. He let one of his hands tease along Steve’s crack until it was gently pushed against Steve’s opening.

Steve whined in response and began to stroke his hand up and down between them. Both of their hips jumped at the attention as their hard cocks rubbed against each other.

That was all the permission that Billy needed to continue. His middle digit began to teasingly push and penetrate Steve’s entrance in shallow thrusts, working to help Steve adjust to the feeling before going deeper. It was an excruciatingly slow process, and Billy savored every whine and gasp that he drew from Steve’s lips.

When he knew they were ready, Billy switched to two fingers and gave a few slow experimental pushes so Steve could adjust before he thrust both fingers fully into the omega’s ass.

Steve broke away from their kiss and gasped, dropping his head into the crook of Billy’s neck and letting out a shaky laugh. His hand continued to pump between them, giving the occasional squeeze that made Billy’s back arch with need.

Billy gave Steve time to adjust before his fingers began to move again. Except this time he wasn’t thrusting. They were both close, he could feel it. And he was determined to make Steve feel as good as humanly possible. His fingers moved and crooked inside of Steve, finding that bundle of nerves that would send the omega over the edge.

His index finger pushed against it teasingly, causing Steve to whimper into his neck.

“Need it…Now.”

Steve's broken words were all Billy needed.

He began pressing and massaging Steve's prostate, reveling in the way Steve shuddered in pleasure against him.

Billy increased speed and pressure until Steve was a trembling mess. His hand wrapped around their dicks was shaking, unable to keep up his previous rhythm.

“Billy.” Steve whined.

“Steve,” Billy gasped in response, pressing his mouth into Steve's shoulder, imagining what it would feel like to claim Steve in every possible sense of the word.

The thought alone was enough to send Billy over the edge. He let out one final moan before shuddering and spilling into Steve's hand.

Steve thrust backwards, causing Billy's fingers to bury deeper inside him, pressing hard against his prostate.

With a final gasp, Steve collapsed on top of Billy, his own cum mixing with the alpha's between their sweaty bodies.

Billy carefully slid his fingers out of Steve and began gently rubbing circles along the omega's back. “You okay?”

Steve let out an exhausted laugh. “Are you kidding? I feel incredible.”

After a few ragged breaths, he lifted his head and looked at Billy with dark earnest eyes.

“Thank you. For doing this. For... being so patient with me.”

Billy smiled, nodding. “I love you.”

Steve rested his head on Billy's chest and gave a tired smile. “I love you too.”

The last word trailed off in a yawn, and Billy suddenly noticed how exhausted he was too.

Billy yawned back in Steve's face, which earned him a weak slap on the chest. Snorting, he rolled over and resituated the pair so they were on their side, with Steve tucked into Billy's chest.

“We should probably wash ourselves off.” Steve yawned as he wrapped his arms around Billy's waist.

“Mmmhmm.” Billy murmured in agreement as he pressed his nose into Steve's soft hair, getting one last smell of the omega's scent before falling into a deep deep sleep.

* * *

 

Consciousness pricked and pulled at Steve, waking him up as all his senses slowly began to register his surroundings.

The first thing Steve noticed was that he was warm.

He was tucked into Billy's bare-chest, with one of the alpha's arms draped over Steve, keeping him safe.

Steve turned and nosed himself into Billy's side. He inhaled deeply. The smell of cloves and a bonfire were a comforting aroma that seemed to envelop him and fill the bedroom, mingling with Steve's own almost overwhelmingly strong scent.

That was the second thing that he noticed and looking back it was almost ridiculous that Steve hadn't noticed it first.

He was in heat. Or about to go into heat.

His scent had magnified in strength, and Steve could feel slick begin to leak along his thighs.

And he quickly recognized the usual morning drowsiness were actually the telltale signs of his mind fogging over, preparing for the upcoming days.

Steve felt himself tensing up at the memory of the last time he'd felt this way.

 _No._ Steve shook his head, his hair tickling Billy's side, causing the alpha to mumble something and pull Steve closer.

That was then. This is now.

Now Steve had someone that loved him. Respected his boundaries. And above all else wanted to keep Steve safe.

Experimentally, Steve slowly draped a leg over Billy's thigh. And then he waited.

Steve felt his warm slick coat the alpha's leg, filling the room with a sticky sweet smell.

Stretching languidly half-atop Billy's solid frame, Steve studied the other man, wanting to take in every detail before his heat fully washed over him.

He looked so peaceful. As if the worries that plagued Billy couldn't follow him into slumber, and their absence revealed how young he really was. He and Steve were both burdened with trauma and responsibilities far beyond their years.

Billy's cute delicate nose twitched, as if catching scent of something enticing. His interest evident in the erect member growing and pressing against Steve's hip.

Smiling to himself, Steve readjusted himself so he was lying directly on top of Billy and spread his legs further. More slick soaked Steve's inner thighs, increasing the smell until it made him almost dizzy.

Billy still hadn’t woken up yet.

Steve considered kissing him awake, but instead decided on something a little more special.

Slowly so not to disturb Billy, Steve reached an arm behind his own back and between his legs. The past few years granted him some pretty acute flexibility, and Steve didn’t have much trouble coating his fingers with slick and beginning to finger himself.

He was still a little stretched out from their last session, and the slick made it easier to build himself up to two, then three fingers.

All the while Steve’s scent continued to fill the room.

Just when Steve felt good and ready, Billy began to stir. As steadily as possible, Steve positioned himself in his lap, the other man’s dick pressed right up against Steve’s prepared entrance.

Steve watched in mischievous anticipation as Billy slowly woke up. The alpha stretched his arms, his brow frowning when he didn’t feel Steve next to him. Blearily, Billy blinked open his eyes and looked around until they landed on Steve.

“Mornin.” Billy sighed with a smile before his sleepy eyes began to process and question Steve’s current position straddling his waist.

“Morning.” Steve said with a smile before pushing back and effectively thrusting Billy’s dick into his entrance.

“Fuck!” Billy shouted in surprise.

“That’s the idea.” Steve grinned, moving himself up and down at a steady pace. Fucking himself on Billy’s hard cock.

“Fuck.” Billy gasped again, his hands reflexively reaching up and gripping Steve’s hips.

“Mmhmm, you have anything else to say?” Steve tilted his head to the side. He could feel things continue to get fuzzy as his heat began to take over.

Billy shook his head with a disbelieving smile before his nose twitched again. Steve could literally see the gears turning in his head as he connected the dots.

“You’re in heat!”

“Ding ding ding, somebody deserves a prize.” Steve clenched around Billy’s cock, causing the other man to gasp and grip his hips tighter. “Anything come to mind, _alpha_?”

Steve let that last word slide from his lips like syrup.

Billy groaned and began to roll his hips with Steve’s rhythm.

“Are you sure?”

Steve didn’t doubt for a moment that if his answer was no, Billy wouldn’t take this any further.

“Positive.” He smiled down at Billy, feeling the stronger man begin to take control of the speed and tempo. “I want you.”

Billy's eyes began to dilate as his alpha nature began to react to the strong scent that was enveloping them both.

Steve felt his heat completely wash over him as his whole body began to relax. “I love you.”

It reminded him of the afterglow from a deep massage, when your body feels like melted butter.

Billy sat up and hugged Steve to his chest, thrusting shallowly into the omega at a lazy pace, wanting to savor every unbroken moment.

It felt fucking amazing. Like Steve had been missing a piece this whole time and Billy made him whole.

Steve tangles his fingers in Billy's hair tugging on them, wanting to be kissed, demanding attention.

Billy growled, and _oh_ that did things to Steve that he did not expect. He could feel more slick leaking and covering them both, making it easier for Billy to thrust in and out as fast or as teasingly slow as he pleased.

Slowly, Billy began to lean forward until Steve was on his back against the soft quilted bed. During the change in position, they were never once separated. Billy's cock stayed buried deep inside Steve, his face tucked in Steve's neck.

Steve's fingers tensed and squeezed at Billy's shoulders. Claustrophobia caused his throat to tighten at the sensation of an alpha on top of him. It reminded Steve of the previous times he'd been in this position.

As if sensing his anxiety, Billy lifted his head and looked into Steve eyes.  His eyes were so dilated there was only a thin layer of blue between his pupils and the whites of his eyes. He looked desperate, primal, possessive.

Steve imagined he probably looked about the same.

But he could see that Billy was still there, still present behind those hungry eyes. Eyes that were as deep and stormy as the sea as they stared at Steve and promised him he wouldn't drown.

Steve relaxed again. He was safe here.

He wrapped his arms around Billy's neck again and guided their mouth together in a deep kiss, one that felt like something shared instead of an overwhelming force. They were both too high on pheromones to be as coordinated as the last time, but it still felt amazing.

Billy broke away from the kiss and began pressing butterfly kisses down Steve's neck and along his collar-bone.

Steve's eyes fluttered closed, focusing on the feeling of Billy tracing and worshipping his body with kisses and gentle caresses.

As the kisses crept lower down his chest, Steve wrapped his legs around Billy, urging the alpha forward and holding him as tight as possible.

The feeling of hot breath and a wet tongue against his skin turned Steve's nipples into stiff buds. He gasped as Billy tongued and teased one while his fingers lazily toyed with the other. Pinching and twisting, only to kiss and suck on it after every strangled cry that he drew from Steve's lips.

Steve dug his fingers into Billy's hair, marveling at how the ringlets of the alpha's curls seemed to wrap around Steve's fingers the same way Billy was trying to touch and hold every part of him.

Occasionally Billy would thrust in such a way that his cock would brush against his prostate making Steve moan and curl his toes. Billy caught on to this and worked to hit that spot over and over until almost every thrust resulted in Steve seeing stars.

Billy moved and touched like he wanted to lay claim to everything Steve had to offer. He could feel his omega nature responding and begging to submit to every push and grip that overwhelmed his senses.

A tightness was growing with each thrust, and he realized that it was Billy's knot swelling and beginning to catch around the tight ring of muscle around his entrance.

Steve wanted to alert Billy of this, but he could barely speak. It required too much focus against the incredible onslaught of pleasure he was experiencing.

Steve closed his eyes, unable to focus on anything but how good Billy was making him feel.

One of Billy’s hands were still toying with Steve’s nipples, occasionally switching between the two and rolling each bud between his index finger and his thumb until they pebbled against Billy’s touch. His other hand soon made itself known.

Steve gasped and rolled his head back against the blankets as Billy’s reached down and gripped Steve’s leaking cock. It had previously been pressed between them with only the friction of their bodies to offer any pleasure. Billy pumped and squeezed Steve’s member, timing each stroke alongside the thrust of his own hips.

And just when he thought he couldn’t take anymore, Billy’s mouth returned to Steve’s neck, tonguing and sucking along Steve’s pulse point. Teasingly nipping against the place that would bond them together forever if Billy just bit a little harder.

“Billy.” Steve gasped. “Now.”

He could feel Billy smile against his neck, feel the alpha’s teeth drag along Steve’s sensitive skin until it hovered tantalizingly just above his scent gland.

Nothing happened.

Steve opened his eyes, and Billy was looking at him like he was the most precious thing in existence.

Slowly, Billy leaned into Steve’s neck and placed a single gentle kiss against the omega’s skin.

“I love you.”

If that moment hadn’t already stolen the air from his lungs, the feeling of Billy finally sinking his teeth into Steve’s pulse point would have taken his breath away.

It was a cacophony of pain and pleasure that sent Steve reeling over the edge. He cried out and wrapped his arms tight around Billy’s shoulders as he came, spilling into the alpha’s hands.

Billy never stopped moving. His canines were still buried in Steve’s neck, marking him so everyone would know they belonged together.

Steve’s whole body arched in pleasure as Billy timed his hands, teeth, and his thrusts in tandem. After one sensation struck, the next followed right after, keeping him in a constant state of climax without even time to catch his breath.

Billy’s knot swelled to the point that he could no longer pull out of Steve. Instead he was left rutting and rocking against the omega, trying to thrust and move inside of Steve with what little momentum he could muster.

Billy withdrew his canines, causing blood to trickle down Steve’s neck. He licked at the wound gently, pausing to raise his nose and nuzzle the sensitive skin behind Steve’s ear before lowering his teeth and sinking them in again.

“Billy!” Steve arched up into his touch, screaming his name like it was his salvation.

Billy shuddered against him, his arms wrapping around Steve’s torso to drag the omega closer as the alpha finally climaxed.

They both collapsed back into the sheets, Billy’s weight settling pleasantly on top of Steve as they rode out their final waves of pleasure and basked in the afterglow.

He could feel Billy’s knot spasming and swelling even more, ejaculating load after load into his trembling body. The feeling of being filled so thoroughly felt euphoric. Even the feeling of Billy’s knot didn’t hurt anymore. At least, Steve assumed it didn’t. He was still coming down from his own climax, so nothing else really registered just yet. Billy was gently stroking Steve’s hair, brushing sweaty strands out of his face as they became tied together in every meaning of the word.

Carefully, Billy rolled the two of them onto their sides, making sure to not pull or strain against Steve’s entrance. By the time they settled, they were wrapped in each other’s arms, legs tangled atop the sweat-soaked comforter on the bed.

They wouldn’t be able to separate for a while. But Steve didn’t mind that one bit. He reached a hand up to his own neck and gingerly traced where Billy’s had bonded with him. It stung, but only a little. In fact, any pain that he felt was dimmed out by a pleasant tingling sensation.

The bite didn’t hurt, because it wasn’t meant to hurt. It was given to him out of love, and with an equal love, Steve had gladly received it.

Steve’s fingers were joined by Billy’s hand atop his own. He could feel the other man stroke and brush against Steve’s neck, tracing the jagged mark he’d left behind.

“Are you alright?” He asked. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Steve shook his head. “No. No, of course not. I mean…”

Steve teasingly clenched the muscles surrounding Billy’s still hard cock. Billy inhaled sharply in response and let out a breathy laugh.

“...I am a little sore.” Steve finished. “But I don’t mind.”

Billy tucked a dark lock of hair behind Steve’s ear. They found themselves getting lost in each other’s gaze, unconsciously leaning in closer.

“My omega.” Billy whispered against Steve’s lips.

“My alpha.” Steve responded, pulling Billy the rest of the way into a kiss that felt like the perfect final note to the symphony that had begun the moment they laid eyes on each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear what you guys thought of this update! Your thoughts and responses mean the world to me and make all this time and effort worthwhile.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at harringrovecryptid  
> Please let me know what you think in the comments below!


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